Rebellious Forever
by Spider-Dork
Summary: My take on a sequel to inFAMOUS: Second Son. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Not in Control

Not In Control

* * *

Friday, 12:00 AM

Seattle, WA

"Delsin, this is the only one I could find!" The words reverberated throughout the Channel 6 News room as a rectangular box smashed to the ground, the outer layer emitting a bright color blue.

"And it's the only one I'm gonna need!" The twenty-four year old threw a thumb up, not paying attention to where the gesture was aiming at and ran as fast as he could over to the glowing box. "Just like last time…" He bent his legs as if in a crouching position and threw his hands forward, holding them in place near the box. Energy from the box levitated into the air, traveling from its previous spot to the palms of Delsin's hands. Soon after absorbing the energy, it surrounded every aspect of his body and lifted him a few feet off the ground.

The conduit formed a bright smile as he squirmed a little and got a glimpse of the new ability he had just now acquired. It showed a thin layer of concrete disks being propelled out from his hand and slicing through anything and everything it came in contact with. The vision flashed away, sending Delsin back to solid ground where he activated the power of concrete, smiling to himself once more before facing his enemy. Towering before him stood a monstrosity made entirely of concrete, four legs attached to its body and in the center was the maker of the creature. A middle-aged woman with red hair, donned in a uniform that had the logo of the department

Delsin had been trying so hard now to drive out of the city of Seattle, "The Department Of Unified Protection". She controlled every part of the beast and was able to shape it into anything she wished it to become. "You're going down now, Augustine!" Delsin raised his arm halfway and aimed directly at the concrete monster's face plate, firing off the new move he had just recently gained. The attack hit the plate directly in the center, adding a small explosion to their collision.

"Oh! And it explodes too?!" He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed and craved to see more of the power in action. Augustine moved the concrete legs toward the tiny conduit who, she saw was retreating back a bit and firing off another of his newest abilities at her creation. She growled under her breath, thrusting her arms forward, causing it to move forward faster toward Delsin.

On the ground level, Delsin ran into a corner of the area he was in and saw Augustine proceeding forward, ready to lay the hurt on him. "No you don't!" He hopped into the air, throwing his hands toward the ground, large blocks of concrete covering his entire arms and a small whirlpool generating under his feet, raising him higher into the air.

Augustine couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him hover above her, achieving semi-flight. "Whoa! Ho!" He shouted in pure jubilation as he gradually landed back on the ground and aimed behind him at the large construct, projecting three of the heavy ammo at once. The tripled amount of explosions and damage was just enough to knock Augustine out of her armor and fall to the ground with a loud thud. Delsin acted quickly and ran full speed ahead, his entire body covered with concrete for a few seconds before shattering away, allowing him to slide across the ground in front of Augustine and blast forth a wave of concrete, encasing the lower half of her body. She let out a small whimper, glancing up at the young man who now had full control of her natural power. "Yeah, I'm told that hurts." Delsin pulled a leg back and turned on the edges of his shoes, walking toward the numerous television monitors and extending his hands out to grab a camcorder sitting on a metal counter. The cam was already on record as he faced the lens towards his face and formed a small smile, it broadcasted to all the TV monitors throughout the city of Seattle.

A female with bright purple hair was stood just outside of the Channel 6 News building, waving her arm behind her and looking back. "Hey! Eugene! Look who's on the screens!" She beckoned for the male once before turning her gaze back to one of the large monitors in the streets, hearing the sound of someone running up beside her and catching a breath.

"Well, what do you know?" The male standing next to the woman fixed his rimmed glasses a tad and grinned, folding his arms over his chest. "I'll be damned..."

"Attention, DUP operatives." Delsin let out a chuckle before staring straight at the camera lens. "You are not…in control." His lips formed into a straight line. "You never were, you thought you were but, you weren't. We just decided to let you kick us around for awhile, make you feel all tough. But don't underestimate the wrath of Seattle and its people, especially Conduits. We are some tough sons of bitches huh? Hehe, well that's because we are willing to do anything for our freedom, to show the world that Conduits and humans can coexist without having to hide in the shadows anymore. Cole MacGrath was the spark to this flame; we're just adding a little more oil to the bonfire. You can hear the people around you; they want you gone just as much as Fetch, Eugene and I do. It's over. Pack it on home. And never, ever, come back." Delsin's eyebrows narrowed close together before he tossed the camcorder to the ground, cutting off the transmission.

"Nice job, 'Smokes'." Fetch curved a small smirk on her lips, taking a step back and patting Eugene's shoulder as a sign that they should go and meet him when he exited. Soon enough, Delsin pushed the front door to the building open and was immediately greeted by the two conduits.

"Awesome broadcast, Delsin!" Eugene laughed and clapped his hands. "That should drive them out for good."

"No, Eugene…it won't. They're relentless, they're resilient. They're gonna do everything in the little power they now have to try and take back control of the city."

"Well then." Fetch stepped forward in front of Delsin and punched his chest lightly, resulting in him letting out a groan. "We'll just keep fighting back until they're gone. Together."

"Ooh! Yup…" Delsin's voice came out hoarse as he pressed his palm against his chest. "Go team…I'm gonna go pass out on a nearby billboard now. I have a promise to fulfill in the morning." Abigail proceeded to stand on her tiptoes.

"What type of promise, exactly? I mean…not that it's any of my business." She threw her arms behind her back and rubbed her hands together, her eyes gazing down at the ground.

"Oh! Um, well when Augustine came to my home, she left a "message" for all of us. And I mean "left" a message. She put numerous people in beds and casts…the x-rays…it wasn't good." Fetch inclined a simple nod before returning the gaze upon Delsin.

"Maybe Eugene and I could go with you back home! I would like to see where "Smoke Guy" was raised at!" Eugene stood next to Fetch and nodded his head in agreement.

Delsin was taken by utter surprise and raised an eyebrow at the two. "You guys really want to see my tribe? I mean, I don't want to bore you two with it, plus, you've already seen glimpses of it when that military bus crashed near the longhouse."

"Well now we can have a proper tour. 'Delsin's tour of Akomish Reservation'." Eugene chuckled softly.

Abigail tilted her head to the side and extended a hand out, tracing her fingers down the sleeve of his jacket. "Weird…I just now realized that your jacket changed colors since we last met. It used to be dark but now, it's pure white. Like a 'Patron Saint' almost."

"Me? A 'Patron Saint'…? I…don't think I'm that kind of person. Just some guy, you know?" Delsin cleared his throat and let out a shudder as he felt her cold fingers rub against his skin.

"I think you are. And that 'some guy' just took down an entire 'government' basically, that alone speaks for itself. You know?" She saw that he had noticed her coping of words and began blinking at her a few times before realizing they weren't alone. Eugene understood the mixed messages being exchanged between the two conduits and rubbed the back of his obscured neck.

"I just realized I need to check up on my angels. Catch you tomorrow morning, Delsin?" He asked, staring at the young adult.

Delsin turned his head toward Eugene and nodded his head once again. "Yeah, sure man." He said and formed a smile as they watched the teenager ascend, full Angel form into the night sky in a hefty takeoff. "So…I should probably get going as well…you know?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll um...see you tomorrow, D." Fetch twisted her body around, her back facing Delsin and vanished in a streak of light, large trails of bright purple neon were visible for a few blocks before dispersing into the air.

"Wow…nice going Del." He sighed softly and spun himself around, proceeding in his own direction toward the nearest billboard sign to crash.


	2. A Promise To Keep

A Promise To Keep

* * *

Saturday, 8:00 AM

Seattle, WA/Salmon Bay, WA

The clouds above Seattle turned darker and bundled closer together; droplets of rain began to hit the pavement and sidewalks, buildings and soon Delsin, who was lying across the steel walkway of a billboard stand. The cold contact of a raindrop hitting his forehead managed to make him open his eyes a tad but close them again. Another drop landed on his eyelid and he opened his eyes a second time, seeing Fetch hovering over him, a smile across her face. "You're so cute when you're sleeping and snoring." Delsin blinked slowly and raised an eyebrow at the woman.

"I snore?" He asked, pulling his upper body right side up and yawning loudly.

"Yeah, a little bit." She giggled and threw a brighter smile his way. "Come on, we gotta go meet "Teen Angel". He's already at the bridge waiting for us. Let's go." Fetch hopped to her feet and jumped on her tiptoes, waiting somewhat patiently for Delsin to pick himself up.

"So…tell me, why are you so excited to see my home?" Delsin stood on his feet, stretching his back and shaking his hands around for a minute or two.

"I don't know, D. It's just…I've never exactly had a home, well I mean, I have had one…just not…you know…permanently. And Eugene and I were discussing about it last night and we were just wondering if…we could stay at the Reserve with you. To keep you company and all that good stuff."

Delsin shifted his eyes toward the ground, thinking about an answer in his head. A few seconds of silence passed before he ultimately made his decision. "Fetch…I would like that. Of course you two can stay with me." He formed his lips into a grin and nodded his head at her.

"Really? Thank you, I mean it. I- Yeah…" Fetch nodded her head at him, twisting her foot into the small grating of the billboard stand. "So, you ready to go?"

"Oh I'm ready to go, just let me uh..." He extended his hand out, wrapping his fingers around hers, hearing the sound of Neon transferring from her body to his. "…snag a little Neon off of you." Letting out a chuckle, his eyes glowed bright purple soon after absorbing the source of power. Fetch felt startled by the sudden grasping of hands but warmed up to it after realizing he was just swapping out his powers.

"Race you there?" She turned halfway, facing the open area in front of them and placing one leg behind her. "Whoever loses has to carry the winner the rest of the way…without using their powers." She heard Delsin let out a small scoff and stand beside her, placing his leg back as well.

"Oh you're so on." He watched and listened as Fetch began counting down from 10 to 1 at a slow speed. "1!" Delsin shouted it out before Fetch could and raised his back up, transforming his body into Neon and blazed across the rooftop in a streak of light, Fetch responding in the same manner.

"You seem to forget D, "I'm" the master of Neon, which means "I" can run faster than you, jump higher than you and well, perform it better than you." Fetch said as she stole the lead from him and quickly hopped over to the next rooftop with grace. She laughed to herself, running up and over the T-Rex structure in the Pacific Science Center and throwing a quick salute at the Space Needle. "Love you!"

Delsin followed in tow, performing small photon jumps across the large gaps of the rooftops and continuing his endless sprint of Neon. He too ran up and over the structure but didn't throw a salute at the Space Needle, only looking at the banner he placed on top and winking at it. "Love you too!" He stopped lollygagging and soon enough caught up behind Fetch, curving his direction to the right and drafting her. "Hey! Would you look at that! I can slipstream you and act like a slingshot! Take this for example!" He swerved sharply to the left, accelerating a few feet ahead of Fetch before leaning his body back towards the right. "Ha! Almost there!"

Fetch wasn't gonna allow that, she turned her sights to the railing on the overpass, turning sharply and leaping over, landing swiftly on the ground and continuing her run. "Shortcut! Take that 'Smokes'!" She giggled loudly as she could now see Eugene leaning against a light pole on one of the three destroyed bridges in the city.

"Oh, no fair!" Delsin skidded to a stop and followed behind her, running over the railing. He soon saw that they were neck and neck, closing in on the finish line, which was Eugene. "Coming at you!" With a small grunt, he triggered another photon jump, the highlights of his body showed him leaping into the air before dissolving away. The jump propelled him forward, gaining him a few centimeters ahead of Fetch and passing by Eugene first. "Oh!" He planted his feet on the ground and slid across the road, stumbling forward at the end. "Now that's how you win a race!"

Fetch stopped shortly after him, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Whatever, I totally had you there!"

"But you didn't! Oh man, that was close!" Delsin laughed and walked over to Eugene, who was adjusting his glasses and muttering to himself. "So, you ready to go? Gotta cross this broken bridge to get there."

Eugene didn't answer until noticing the long silence going on between the three of them. "Hm? Oh yeah, I'm ready to go. Seemed like a close shave there."

"You bet your ass it was! Whoo! I feel good! That's a great way to get someone pumped up, we should do that more often, Fetch."

"Sounds like a plan then, D." She smirked and walked beside the two towards the very edge of the piece they were standing on. "So…how exactly are you gonna get over there? I can leap over there; Eugene can fly over there…what about you?"

Delsin was already a step ahead of her, grasping Eugene's hand in his and absorbing the power of Video. "I'll glide there. No problem." He flicked his wrists, glancing from Fetch to Eugene. "Let's do this." He preceded first, running along the last piece of ground before generating a pair of bright blue digital wings on his back, allowing him to fly across with ease. As the wings were beginning to disappear, due to Delsin not being as experienced as Eugene, he triggered a signal jump, similar to the Neon photon jump and was able to get a boost into the air for a couple of seconds. Once he felt he was high enough, he threw his hands toward the ground and activated his Video thrusters, which not only allowed him to stay in the air longer than the Smoke and Neon thrusters, it also granted him the ability to swoop back up a few feet in the air due to an Airwave. After repeating the steps a couple times, he managed to make it to the platform of road. "Nice…"

Fetch and Eugene responded in unison, one leaping high into the air in a streak of bright purple light, while the other transformed himself into a massive sword-wielding angel donned in armor. Fetch made it to the platform before Eugene, who opted to stay in the air rather than transform back and forth over and over again. Delsin waited for Fetch before pointing towards the very end of the obstacle course they had to cross. "That tunnel way down there is our goal. Boy, you are lucky you didn't have to go through this thing while it was in the middle of falling apart, not fun…okay a little bit of fun actually. You get me."

"Well you're still alive as I can see so it must've been fun for you. Let's go." She smacked his shoulder lightly before running ahead with Neon, immediately vaulting over flipped over cars and roadblocks.

"Ow…whoa." Delsin watched as she executed these maneuvers with fluidity and precision. "Damn. Well, I heard the lady, no time to waste, Betty's still in pain." He was just about to move on when he soon realized he forgot the item that was essential to the whole mission. "Crap…I don't have Concrete selected! Where am I gonna find a DUP trooper?" He groaned and lightly pounded his fist against his head, getting ready to go back into the city until he heard Fetch call out his name.

"Hey Delsin! I think I found something of yours!" Fetch lifted her arm up, her grip latched onto the back of a DUP agent's outfit. She could see Delsin form a smile and quickly fly over to where she was crouching.

"Holy- Fetch you are a lifesaver. And he's got Concrete pulsing through him. Well don't mind if I do." He reached his hand out and began to absorb the energy needed to save Betty from her critical state. "Thank. You." He clenched and relaxed his fist, feeling the shards of Concrete surge through his body. "Alright, let's get to the Reservation."

After crossing the platforms with ease, the trio ran through the tunnel that led to the bridge, Fetch and Eugene seeing their old handiwork when they first arrived. "I remember throwing swords through that there car…" Eugene let out a nervous chuckle and followed behind the two in front.

"And I remember slicing those trees down, I was so full of anger and I couldn't control myself." Fetch sighed softly, shaking her head while running past the scene. "Still, needed a change anyway."

Delsin scoffed at the two comments made before slowing his run down to a walk. "It's still here…" There still parked and clean as if it never moved was Reggie's truck. "My god…"

"What is…? Oh, that. Was that Reggie's? Where is he anyway…?" Fetch had already assumed it was Reggie's due to the police lights on the roof but wanted to be sure.

"Yes…it was…" Delsin bent his head to the ground, remembering all too well the way his older brother let go of his hand and fell into the icy waters of the Puget Sound, the way he went into a blind rage and destroyed Augustine's Concrete fortress with his special attacks. "We can take it all the way back to the Reservation, come on." He glanced back up and walked towards the driver's seat of the truck.

"You never did tell us what happened; we were both stuck in that Concrete pillar when things went down." Fetch knew it was probably a very sore subject for Delsin to talk about but still would've liked to know.

"Reggie…" Delsin began to say, stepping into the truck and pulling the spare keys out of the glove compartment. "Never mind." He slid the keys into the ignition and started up the engine, feeling the truck rumble underneath him. "Come on."

"D…" Fetch stopped the words from escaping her lips and hopped into the truck, Eugene climbing in after her but transporting himself to the backseat. "So, have you ever driven this before?"

Turning his gaze to Fetch, he stared into her eyes, soon shifting to her light purple hair then back ahead at the road. "…Once. When I was little." And with that, he put the stick into Drive, turning the wheel as far to the left as he could before pressing his foot down on the gas pedal. Without his knowledge, Fetch had turned the radio on and cranked the volume up a tad.

"We got ourselves a cover song from the band Dead Sara called "Heart-Shaped Box", which was made famous by Seattle grunge band Nirvana, let's get it going." The announcer stopped talking and the song began to play throughout the truck.

Fetch soon began to sing quietly to herself as she stared out the window at the trees whizzing by. **"…I wish I could eat your cancer when you turned black…Hey. Wait. I got a new complaint. Forever in debt to your priceless advice…"** She then eyed the review mirror, seeing Eugene fast asleep in the back, which gave her a chance to talk to Delsin, who was just staring straight ahead at the road.

Delsin could already tell what was coming up and gripped the steering wheel tighter, turning his head away from her but was forced to keep his eyes on the road as well. "After Augustine closed you guys in that Concrete shell, she began levitating it up into the air while encasing Reggie's legs."

**_"Leave my brother alone, you bitch!"_**

"After I yelled at her, she stopped holding the shell, all three of us watching as it crashed against the surface."

**_"Reggie!"_**

"I grabbed a hold of his hand while gripping the edge of the platform for dear life. When he told me to look at him, I saw that the Concrete had spread all the way up to his neck, the only visible part was his arm and his face.

**_"Damnit, I'm so proud of you. Always have been."_**

**_"No- Reggie don't."_**

**_"I love you, bro."_**

**_"AHHHH! NOOOO!"_**

"I felt his fingers slip through mine as I saw him fall into the water, the Concrete was still spreading over him even after he fell in."

"What did you do…?"

"…I climbed up and stared at her, her face had no expression at all, just squinting her eyes at me. I immediately took the sadness inside me and replaced it with anger, so much anger; I went into a blind rage."

Fetch noticed that Delsin's fingers and knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly and his voice had added soft growl to the mix.

"I ran towards her, firing off all of the Smoke abilities I had learned at that time, each time I got her on the ground, I would kick her across the arena with all my strength, yelling at her at the top of my lungs."

**_"You tortured my people! Why?! He never hurt you! Damn you! Monster!"_**

"I launched into the air, clenched my fist tightly and flew back down with an explosion of Smoke, when I noticed that some TV monitors were visible, I drained Video and summoned an army of angels that swooped up to the sky and rained down on her in one massive airstrike. That's when the entire base began to collapse."

Delsin began to breathe heavily due to how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel. "I wanted to find her and I wanted to kill her, I wanted to end her life as soon as she showed her cowardly face again, no mercy."

Fetch extended her hand out and placed it gently on top of Delsin's. "But you didn't. You put aside that anger and you thought about what was right for you, for the people...and for Reggie."

With a sigh, Delsin turned his head to her, his eyes shifting from her to the hand that was touching his. "Yeah…thank you." He managed to form a small grin for a minute before aiming his eyes back at the road. "I'm glad I have you two as well as Betty…otherwise…I wouldn't know what I would be doing right now."

The words helped reassure Fetch that this wasn't gonna be such a bad idea after all, staying with him and Eugene and the Tribe. "Probably causing havoc throughout the city, 'enjoying your powers' no doubt." She giggled.

"Ha. Sorry to burst your bubble there, but I had gotten what I wanted…with a few extras on the side."

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Salmon Bay, WA

Delsin quickly winked at her before turning the wheel to the left and driving down a small slope, in front of them stood the Longhouse. "Here it is, let me heal Betty first before I introduce you guys to her, just seems natural. Also, wake 'Game Boy' up while you're at it." He chuckled and closed the car door behind him, slowly walking ahead. Once he reached the door, he carefully opened it so as not to wake anyone up if they were sleeping inside. His eyes spotted Betty, who was still lying in the same position after he made his promise to her. "Betty…" He whispered softly as he sat on the edge of her bed, reaching his hand over and grabbing a hold of her leg. Seconds of nothing were then replaced by the happy tone of Betty's voice when she saw the all too familiar face in front of her.

"Delsin. You're here." She watched him nod his head in agreement and turn his gaze to her leg, which was Concrete-free in a matter of seconds. "Oh my- It's gone. I can't believe it! They're all gone!" She smiled brightly and laughed with the upmost jubilation she could produce before holding her hands out for him to grab, which he did with a soft smile on his face. "You saved me, Delsin Rowe."

"Hey we're Akomish, we take care of our own right?" Delsin grinned at her.

Betty sniffed her nose in happiness before glancing around the room with another smile. "Where's Reggie?" She watched as Delsin's face changed to a somewhat serious expression, which led to her smile coming down.

"Reggie…" He cleared his throat as he stared ahead at Fetch and Eugene, who were standing by the door, both giving Delsin a small wave of the hand. "…Reggie saved me." Betty immediately understood what he meant and slowly nodded her head.

"I'm sure he's proud of you for what you've done for the city and for the Tribe." She blinked a few times at him waiting to see if he would say anything else.

"Yeah…" Delsin shifted his eyes back to Betty and patted her hands. "I'm gonna go heal the others, I will be back." He stood up from the bed, but before walking off, bent over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Thank you for being there when our parents weren't, and taking good care of us. I couldn't ask for a better person to lead the Tribe." He let the words sink into Betty's system, who stared at him as he walked off to heal the others. "My pleasure, Delsin…" She muttered softly.

Moments passed before the sound of two pairs of feet approached Betty's bed. She had had her eyes closed for a second before reopening them, being greeted by Fetch and Eugene. "Oh…and who are you two?" Fetch spoke up first.

"My name's Abigail Walker, but friends call me 'Fetch'. Delsin told us a little bit about you, I'm sorry to hear what had happened to you and the Tribe."

Betty grinned at the young woman, shaking her head slightly. "I can't thank Delsin enough. He's such a good boy. May I say I love the color of your hair?"

Fetch couldn't contain her smile and giggled quietly. "Thank you." Once the time felt right, Eugene took his turn.

"I-I'm Eugene, Eugene Sims. I don't really have an alias, well besides 'Teen Angel' but that's it." Betty raised both eyebrows at the boy.

"Oh, I see. That sounds lovely; you sure look like an angel to me." She chuckled as Eugene began to blush. "T-Thanks."

Betty sat up in her bed. "So, you two are good friends of Delsin?"

Fetch nodded her head, still smiling at the elderly woman. "Yeah, 'Angel' and I helped him take down Augustine at her tower. We…uh, 'willingly' gave our powers to him."

"You don't have to lie to me, Abigail." Betty threw her a straight face at Fetch. "Did you 'really' just lend him your powers?"

Fetch complied with a small shake of her head.

"I knew it, but you know he needed to do it in order to combat that ornery trot."

"We know. It's just part of us wishes we met him sooner, he possibly could've saved me from my past."

"He also could've helped me gain courage beforehand, when I used to get bullied in school." Eugene added in.

Betty smiled at the two of them, shaking her head. "It just…baffles me, knowing that he spent twenty-four 'normal' years of his life, not knowing that he was special. I always told him, "You are destined for greatness. Just you wait and see". I just didn't think it would be this type of greatness." She chuckled softly.

"I'm just glad that he has a wonderful mother such as you." Fetch lightly patted Betty's hand, soon seeing she was shaking her head again.

"Oh dear, I'm not Delsin's mother. Their parents died when they were very young. The reason for Reggie's hatred toward Conduits was that he thought they were killed by them, which…is true."

"Their parents died by…Conduits? W-What happened?"

"It was when the news was on every station, reports of a massive flash, a surge going around the whole world. People from all around just die in the hands of their loved ones, absolutely devastating. I noticed that Delsin showed a few signs of pain for a couple of hours during the event but they soon subsided, I didn't really take notice."

"But wait, then how…"

"It not only killed off several, it actually helped others unlock their powers, bring them out into the light. One of them just happened to be near the Reservation. Their parents told them to stay put, I watched them just to make sure, but after awhile there was nothing. Only an explosion, a few groans…then silence, completely silence besides the TV. I went out to look and all I saw were a trail of bright orange leave the scene and two bodies lying next to each other."

Fetch slowly raised a hand over her mouth, gasping softly. "You said bright orange right?"

Betty nodded her head. "When that military bus crashed here a few weeks ago, I was trapped inside the fish cannery. It was all burnt, fire everywhere, but then a middle-aged man appeared in a trail of bright orange, almost like smoke and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the same man who I saw run away on the night their parents died."

"…Hank." Fetch whispered just loud enough for the two to hear, Eugene shocked by the news.

"What happened after that?"

"He was trying to tell me I needed to get out of here. He remembered me, I remembered him and there was no way I was gonna listen to him, never. I refused to comply; backing away from him slowly when all of a sudden out bursting through the double doors appeared Delsin with a face of anger. I watched him raise his fist up; thick black smoke began to ascend from his fingers.

**_"You did this to me!"_**

**_"You're a Conduit?!"_**

"I had a face of shock, I just couldn't believe…any of it, really. One of the boys I had been carrying under my wing for twenty-four years was a Conduit this whole time. Delsin told me to run, so I did only to be captured by that trot's DUP operatives soon afterward. I didn't see him for awhile and began to get worried, I couldn't do anything, only stand there next to these two faceless men in yellow and black gear. About five minutes later, the man, Hank appeared, only to be encased by what looked to be Concrete from the waist down. Delsin appeared soon after and watched along with the rest of us as Hank's body was soon engulfed by the unusual power. Then came the leader herself, telling Hank she was disappointed in him before taking a glance at Delsin, who of course added a bit of humor to the mix as you might of noticed he is known to do."

Fetch giggled softly, nodding her head. "Yeah, I noticed that after a little while of getting to know him."

Betty smiled brightly at Fetch. "After that, she wanted to know what was going on in the cannery and Delsin of course, also known for being quite rebellious, decided to tell her that nothing happened which she didn't like one bit. She asked a second time, leading to Delsin about to say the same thing when she immediately thrusted a dagger of some sort into his leg."

**_"Gah! Agh!"_**

**_"I'm told that hurts."_**

"Delsin was surprisingly resilient to the massive amounts of pain he was receiving and tried to shake it off but Augustine got the better of him and delivered more daggers into his legs. I couldn't stand it any longer, I wasn't gonna let her hurt one of my boys like that."

**_"Maybe I know what happened in there!"_**

**_"No! Betty- Don't."_**

"He wanted me to stay back, which she took a bit annoying. She stood up and threatened to hurt everybody here until she got the answers she was looking for. Either he tells her what he genuinely is or let her begin her mini rampage across the Reservation.

"She had to make him choose?"

"That's right."

"And what did he decide to do?"

"He decided to risk /his/ freedom for the Tribe, telling her he was a Conduit and that he caught it from Hank which she got a good laugh out of.

**_"Oh, you caught it? Very funny."_**

**_"Argh!"_**

**_"Delsin!"_**

**_"It's…Betty, right? Maybe you'll give me the right answer."_**

"I wasn't about to answer to her, not after what she just did to him. So she did the only thing she really could: She stuck a dagger in my leg, causing me to fall to the ground in a second."

**_"Yeah, I'm told that hurts."_**

"Delsin and I were unconscious for at least a week; I suppose fast-healing is a part of being a Conduit since the daggers were already out of him by the time he finally woke up. He sat by my bed, slowly beginning to blame himself for the how the other Tribe members turned out."

"He told us about the x-rays…"

"They were horrifying. Absolutely horrifying."

"I can imagine."

"It wasn't long before I fell back asleep, but I managed to stay awake long enough to hear him tell me that he'd fix this, no matter what. That was the last I saw of him for about 2 or 3 days."

Fetch began to say something when Delsin came back to the group, a smile on his face. "Alright, everybody's patched up and healed of the Concrete daggers. You guys introduce each other?"

"Delsin…" Fetch began, turning her body towards him. "…Betty told us about your parents and how Augustine came and tortured you, making you have to decide. If I wasn't so hellbound on getting out, I would've stayed and helped you out of that mess."

"We both would've." Eugene spoke up, stepping close to Delsin.

Delsin's smiled faded away and he slowly shook his head. "Guys, it was my problem. I did /this/…and now I finally fixed it."

"Well yeah but…"

"It's okay now, Augustine's finished, and we won. I saved my friends and the only person I have close to a family now. I got to meet you two, along with Hank. As much as I hate him for lying to me and tricking Reggie and I, he's still a good person at heart. I've seen it. Now it's time to move forward with our lives, but first, I need to do something and also figure out a plan."

"What type of plan?" Eugene raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Delsin stayed quiet for a minute, pulling out an aerosol can and shaking it up. "I'll be right back…"

* * *

Fetch and Eugene waited fifteen minutes for him before wondering what exactly he was doing that was taking so long and exited out of the Longhouse, walking down the roadway toward the fish cannery; the soft sound of an aerosol can soon filled their ears.

"I wonder what he's doing…" Eugene muttered, kicking a small stone across the roadway.

"I'm not sure, sounds like he's tagging something again." Fetch said as she began picking up the pace, Eugene glancing up and following in the same manner.

The trees surround the Reservation began to clear away, revealing the fish cannery. On top, they could see a small black figure spray painting a billboard, the billboard shone with a bright blue background, on one side was a massive face of Delsin's older brother Reggie smiling while the other side depicted of Delsin and Reggie standing next to each other, both equipped with a bright smile. In the middle showed the words:

**'In Loving Memory of Reggie Rowe'.**

Fetch and Eugene couldn't believe it only took Delsin this amount of time to make of mural of his brother and began making their way toward him, ascending up the side ladder where they soon saw him setting the spray can whilst muttering a few words to himself.

"I love you brother, and I'm sure gonna miss you." Delsin turned his back toward the mural, seeing Fetch and Eugene standing there in awe. "Didn't know you guys were standing there the whole time."

"We weren't but…" Fetch took a few steps forward, letting out a small chuckle. "…this is amazing, Delsin. I think your brother would've approved of this." She glanced up at him, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah…" He pursed his lips together, nodding his head slowly. "I just hope he's in a better place now." Delsin could feel his eyes begin to water and blinked rapidly, bending his head down. "Well, I might as well do something right for once." He sniffed his nose as he wiped his eyes clean from the rising tears.

"Does this have to do with that plan you mentioned earlier?" Eugene stood stiff, his hands clenched together and his arms swaying back and forth a bit. "What exactly is it?"

Delsin was already one step ahead of him, walking towards the smoke-filled chimney on the side of the billboard and draining the source of his dormant power, once the smoke had been drained dry from it, he raised his fist up to chest-height, glancing back at the two. "I'm going to Curdun Cay."


	3. Tagging Along

Tagging Along

* * *

Saturday, 10:30 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

"Wait, you're going to Curdun Cay?" Eugene asked with a scared expression on his face. "Delsin, you do know that's all the way in Nevada, right? That's a bit of a ways from Seattle to there."

"Yes, I know Eugene, but they need to be free. All of them, how can you think it's alright that they have to sit where they are for another second while we are out here in the open? It doesn't sit right with me and I'm gonna get them out, with or without you guys." Fetch had her back turned to the two conduits, memories of Curdun Cay flooded her mind, and voices began overlapping one another, Augustine, Delsin and her brother Brent.

"Fetch…"

She couldn't move or respond back to the voice as Brent's face entered her mind, causing her breathing to become uneven.

"Fetch."

She felt her heart racing, banging against her chest, wanting to be free from her body.

"Fetch!"

The sudden yell snapped her out of her state, shaking her head and seeing Delsin in front of her, gripping the side of her arm.

"Are you okay?" The words came out as sincere as Delsin could make them.

Fetch stared ahead at him, blinking. "Um…" She looked away, lowering her head. "I-I'm fine, it's just…that place…"

Delsin understood what she was trying to say and let go of her arm, stepping back from her. "It's okay, I know. That's why I'm going alone, just thought I'd tell you guys."

Fetch turned her head toward him, narrowing her eyes at him and shaking her head slowly. "No…no way, that's suicide. You'd be dead in 5 minutes flat."

"And everything else we've done hasn't been suicide from the start?" Delsin threw his arm up, aiming at a random direction before letting it drop to his side again. "I _have_ to do this. I just have to."

"Delsin, no!"

"What would you have me do? Let them sit in there and rot to nothing? I'm going." He glared at both of them before slowly turning away from them.

"I'm going with you."

"No, you're not, Fetch."

"Good luck getting there then. You don't know where it is _exactly_. We do."

Delsin knew he was defeated at that point, she was right; he had no idea where exactly in Nevada Curdun Cay was. He let out a small sigh before twisting his head back towards Fetch. "…Fine. You win, you both can come along."

Fetch formed a small smile at Delsin, glancing over at Eugene who was staring down at the ground with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well we need a plan, an actual one. Augustine was bound to have that place armored up to the core before she was captured."

"I remember finding an audio…" Delsin stopped himself mid-sentence, remembering that the DUP informant that had contacted him a few days ago told him not to mention the logs to anyone, keeping it a secret between only them. "…actually, never mind. I heard rumors that Augustine was terrified of me going there, so yeah, she'll have had it heavily guarded."

"You and I could go in, cause a big ruckus and blow open the doors to the station, give them a little taste of laser." Fetch suggested, walking up and lightly pounding her fist against Delsin's shoulder.

"O-or we could go in silently, slip in, unlock the cells then get them out quietly." Eugene chimed in, approaching the duo.

"Oh come on 'Teen Angel', there's over three-hundred conduits stuck in there, how exactly do you plan on getting them out? They're not gonna want to escape quietly, you know that."

"I could change to my full Angel form once we're inside, tell them the plan and escort them out with my other 'friends'."

"That's bound to fail in a split-second-

"It's better than risking the lives of hundreds of our kind!"

"Delsin, you're not gonna go with his plan, are you?"

"Come on Delsin, I can do it, you just gotta give me a chance."

Delsin looked at both, taking a step back and raising his hand up. He sighed deeply, turning himself away from the two, massaging his temple. "Me and my words…" He knew he couldn't choose both; he had to make a choice, knowing that there would also be consequences and repercussions for whichever one he would decide to choose.


	4. Break The Law

Break The Law

* * *

Saturday, 10:30 AM

Salmon Bay, WA – Curdun Cay, NV

Delsin blinked slowly, turning back around to the two and directing his attention towards Eugene. "Alright Eugene, let's see what you're made of shall we…" He placed a hand on the timid conduit's shoulder, a small smile creeping on his face.

"R-Really? I won't let you down!" Eugene formed a bright smile back at Delsin.

"You gotta be kidding me, D!" Fetch appeared annoyed at his decision, holding an arm out towards Eugene. "You're gonna try and go in there ninja mode, you'll be dead in no time...but hey, it's your funeral." She backed away from the two, throwing both her arms up into the air before scoffing and disappearing in a bright streak of Neon.

Delsin held his tongue, watching the trail lead back to the Longhouse. "Um…I'm sure she'll get over it? Yeah. So, you ready for this?" He asked while beginning to turn back to Eugene, feeling his heart skip a beat as he saw that he had transformed into his full angel form. "Jesus."

"Yes, let us go and free the conduits in Curdun Cay." Eugene's voice changed from being timid one to a thundering deep voice. "Off we go! Get on!" Delsin nodded his head and walked underneath the angel, clambering a top of its arm and sitting on the shoulder.

"Onward, you majestic beast!" Delsin played along with the medieval talk, chuckling soon after shouting that. "Ah…never again. That was dumb."

Eugene began levitating high into the air, flapping his bright blue angel wings fiercely as they propelled forward at a great speed, heading towards the Alpine mountains where Curdun Cay was hidden within.

* * *

13 Hours Later

11:15 PM

Curdun Cay, NV

Having already made it into Nevada and the Alpine Mountains, Eugene and Delsin decided it was best to strike at night, in case the plan did in fact go south it wouldn't be so easy for the DUP to spot them if they fled. Delsin was lying sideways, reaching the entire span of Eugene's full angel shoulder, his phone in one hand, and his fingers tapping rapidly against the screen while his free arm was rested behind his head. He let out a small sigh as he watched the multi-colored blocks fall down from the top of the screen and land on the free spaces where there were none the moment before. With ease, he found the same colored block and attached it with a double pair, causing the trio to explode into small tiny pixels and vanish from the screen.

"Oh Tetris…how you manage to be boring, yet exciting at the same time." He whispered softly to himself, turning off the phone and slipping it back into one of his pant pockets. Delsin swung his legs around, sitting back up on Eugene's shoulder, who was currently resting at the moment, his breathing somewhat normal and steady even in full form. "Not sure how he does it, but now it's time to strike…get _everybody_ out of here. Except the DUP of course." He corrected himself, reaching a hand down and pounding a fist against the large armor placed on the angel. "Hey, 'Game Boy'. It's time to go, come on."

Eugene breathed through his angel nose as he arched himself up from the side, not a trace of sleep followed him afterward as he brought his wings out once again, extending them to their full wingspan. "Yes, let us free these prisoners…quietly. _If_ we can even do that anyway." Delsin glanced up at the side of his face.

"Hey man, we gotta at least try; otherwise we might as well have brought Fetch with us, right? Right."

Eugene nodded his head slowly, knowing that by now Curdun Cay would be a large, flaming Neon mess. "Please understand Delsin that I didn't mean to argue with Fetch back at the Reservation…it's just…" Delsin was quick to respond, pounding his fist against the armor again.

"Hey man, don't worry about it, Fetch will be okay, she doesn't hold grudges for too long…except drug dealers that is…that she'll never let go." He whistled a note before placing his hands on his waist. "So…you ready to play 'Splinter Cell'?"

Eugene bent his head down toward the mini conduit. "You play those games?"

"No." Delsin stated defiantly, moving his arms up and over his chest. "…Yes."

"Huh, at least I'm not the only one. Let us strike."

Wasting no more time, Delsin took the lead, running off of the cliff and triggering his Smoke thrusters to provide him a minor lift in levitation. "This is gonna be so awesome!" He laughed loudly, hearing it reverberate across the mountains numerous times.

"Best to keep quiet, so as not to alarm the enemy." Eugene suggested, flying off of the cliff after Delsin, flapping his wings silently as he flew across the large ravine.

"This coming from the guy whose voice is as loud as a megaphone, relax man. Alright, beam me up, Scotty."

Eugene folded his wings in, swooping down at a fast rate towards Delsin, grabbing his denim vest with the edge of his talons. "Coming up."

"Whoa! Holy shit..!" Delsin tried to keep his voice down as he felt himself get lifted higher and higher into the air till the towering structure of Curdun Cay appeared back in his vision again. "There she is. Momma DUP."

Eugene hovered above the snowy ground of Curdun Cay station, pulling his talons up which resulted in letting Delsin go at a moderate height. "Incoming."

"Wait wha- No, no, no!" Delsin didn't think twice to use his thrusters again to help slow his descent, only falling face first into the thick snow with a thud. "Ow…again."

"What was the first time?"

"Fetch punching me in the chest this one time, long story." His voice exited out muffled as he stayed in the pile of snow for a minute before yanking his head out for a fresh gulp of air. "Let's roll out." Delsin picked himself up off of the ground; hearing and watching Eugene revert back to his small normal self again. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of that." He proceeded to wipe the snow off of his clothes before walking forward toward the station. "Do you know the layout of this place?"

"I only saw little tiny glimpses of the entire area; we never really got to go outside when I was inside here." Eugene stated, shooting his eyesight rapidly from left to right, examining the massive concrete walls that helped make up almost the entire structure. "I do know there's a way in through the ventilation system."

Delsin cracked his neck, forming a small smirk on his lips. "I do love me some air ducts. Come on." He increased his speed to a moderate jog, his shoes sinking deep into the thick snow as he spotted the large grate which covered the vents. "Think I found it…not very hard to find, especially when there's a huge-ass light shining on it." He chuckled lightly, shooting a quick bullet of smoke at the grate, watching it unloosen and fall to the ground. He didn't bother waiting up for Eugene as he hopped up, grabbing a hold of the metal bar line and pulling himself up into the tight compacted space. "Really need to space this crap out more."

Eugene followed close behind Delsin, soon entering inside the vent himself and crawling through, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "This path should take us main cell block A."

"How many cell blocks are there?" Delsin twisted his head back, looking at Eugene while still continuing on forward through the vent.

"A…all the way down to…Z" Eugene muttered, keeping his head down.

Delsin widened his eyes, twisting his head back around straight. "Jesus Christ…how many of them are there?"

"Over three-hundred of us…are trapped here."

"How in the hell did she capture that many without causing massive amounts of damage to property or killing at least of us?"

"That's the thing…they couldn't capture one without causing major damage to the city they were in…as for fatalities, none, except their injuries seemed pretty fatal. Just as long as they had a pulse and were still breathing, they'd throw you in the APC and take you here. I've seen some actually play dead, like literally, they would make their heart stop on action, only it wouldn't last long, the DUP caught on to the trick, aiming their guns at them and firing at least two bullets to the chest. They had no choice but to react, waking up and screaming while being thrown in the APC." Eugene's voice sounded as though he needed to clear it but didn't bother.

Delsin stayed quiet, only looking ahead, a look of hate on his face. "…They're gonna pay…each and every one of them. I swear to you. But first, the conduits need to get out of here." He stopped moving forward, glancing down through the bottom grate and seeing a hallway just below them. "Let's try here." He slid his legs out, bending back as he began kicking down on the grate several times before it broke open, hanging by just one nail still wedged in the metal wall. He landed on the solid ground with a small grunt, Eugene in tow behind him as they both took in their confined surroundings. "Jesus…" Delsin approached a rectangular shaped cage, peering through the looking glass in the door at what appeared to be a female conduit trapped inside, not wearing a regular DUP detainee uniform similar to what Hank always wore, but wearing a black jacket over a white buttoned shirt with red tie over the front. She was also clad in a red flannel skirt, black leggings and a pair of black and white sneakers, topping it off with a distinct white mask that resembled a rabbit covering a large portion of her face, rendering her incognito. Delsin could only stare at her as she began to lift her head up, tilting it slightly to the right and back, her uncovered bottom lip lowering.

"Delsin…" She whispered in a long tone, staring straight ahead at the door as Delsin rounded the corner of the cage to get a good look at her through the wide glass walls that surrounded her. Eugene's mouth had gaped open as he noticed the numerous amounts of origami designs laid and place all around the conduit.

"I guess she likes to make…origami?" Eugene raised a hand up, adjusting his glasses as he swallowed, the sound being heard by Delsin who continued to stare ahead.

"How does she know my name?" His breathing began to become uneven as he watched the conduit slowly turn her head to the wall where the two were standing, holding an arm out and pointing her finger directly at Delsin. "Eugene…let her out."

"Wha- Are you crazy? You just heard her call your name. Why would you want to let her out?"

"Maybe she wants to help, you know the DUP are still trying to form back together with what little forces they have left after our tussle with Augustine."

The glass wall in front of them instantly shook resulting in the center beginning to form large, wide cracks trailing to each corner of the wall. Both Delsin and Eugene jumped back from the sudden sound, widening their eyes as they watched the young woman stand up from the ground and proceed toward the wall, pressing a hand against it.

"Yeah, or you know, maybe she's trying to kill us!" Eugene exclaimed, backing up slowly till he hit the wall behind him.

The conduit immediately erupted into a whirlwind of paper, causing all of the glass around the cage to shatter and her to vanish from the scene, leaving nothing but a small origami dove design. Delsin and Eugene covered their faces from the sudden explosion of force, only to come out to see the little dove with tiny other designs floating around it.

"What the…" Delsin stood over the dove, cautiously picking it up and turning it over before opening it all the way. Inside was a small message that read, "**You shall find out soon enough…Delsin Rowe. In time." **

Delsin slowly set the paper down to the side, exhaling sharply as he stood up again to face Eugene. "Alright, look we'll deal with that problem later, right now; we gotta get these guys out of here. Okay?"

Eugene nodded in response, already heading toward the nearest exit out of the room they were in. "You got it, let's see where we are and try and cut the power, that way all of the cages and doors will open and we can escort them out."

Delsin stopped for a second, raising a finger up in front of him while staring at his partner. "You know…the more I think about it, the more I realize is that they won't go out of here quietly and that maybe…just maybe-

"-You should've brought me along? Yeah, you probably should've." The voice sounded from behind the two as the room illuminated in a haze of bright purple and blue then dispersing in a matter of seconds. Fetch approached the two, crossing her arms over her chest.

Delsin shifted his eyes over to her, widening them as he raised an eyebrow. "H-How did you-

"It isn't called 'Light Speed' just to sound cool, D." She glared up at him, a small smirk written across her face.

"Oh…well…I mean- I-I didn't-

"Relax, Smokes, I'm messing with ya. So, you two ready to light this place up and free our lost brethren?"

Eugene nodded rapidly, glancing over at Fetch with a small smile. "Yeah. Hey, sorry for fighting with you earlier, just wanted to prove myself to the group is all…" He instantly lowered his head, slightly ashamed of himself.

Fetch reassured him by placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to look up at her. "You already proved yourself by helping us take over Augustine's Tower, but now we gotta stick together, just like Delsin said. And also maybe listen to the woman's side of a choice, yeah? We're not all the same stereotypical woman who nags all of the time."

Delsin and Eugene both looked at each other, chuckling rather nervously while rubbing the back of their necks. "Uh huh…yeah. Hehe."

Fetch rolled her eyes, walking past the two in annoyance. "Another reason as to why I hate working with boys, confirmed." As she entered the long hallway in front of her, her pace slowed to a dead stop. A flood of memories entered inside of her brain, memories of sitting alone in her own cage with a large yellow mechanism clasped around her hands so as to not allow her powers to be activated. The echoing voice of Augustine frightening her once again, despite her strength now. Outside, her breathing became rigid and unsteady, which Delsin began to notice from afar. He stepped out of the room he was in and approached Fetch, turning around in front of her and grabbing a hold of her shoulders.

"Fetch, are you okay? You're breathing weird again. Hey. Look at me, Fetch look at me."

Inside of her mind, the voice of Augustine began to drown out the muffled sound of Delsin's, almost mixing the two together in unison. "Abigail…Miss Walker…Miss Walker…" The voices slurred together in her head as they grew louder with each passing second. "Fetch!" The sudden shift in tone was enough to snap her out of her dreaming state, shaking her head rapidly as she saw Delsin standing in front of her, a look of worry and relief on his face. "Fetch…? You okay?" She tilted her head slightly to the side before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around Delsin's shoulders; the soft sound of sniffing could be heard from her. "Hey. Hey, it's okay…I promise." He raised a hand and gently patted the back of her head, bending his head down to look at her.

"I just want to get out of here." She whispered softly, a single tear streaking down the side of her face. "Brent…" She choked up, trying her best to breathe deeply through the sudden tears.

This was the first time Delsin had seen her like this, besides back when they performed their first major drug bust together at the docks. He began to make conjure up his own set of memories, memories of the morning at Augustine's Concrete Base when Reggie sacrificed himself to save his obnoxious little brother who never saw things clearly until the last second. He breathed deeply as he placed his fingers on the end of Fetch's chin, tilting her head upwards towards him. "Hey, look at me, everything's gonna be okay. I promise you, it's gonna be okay. Augustine's not here anymore, I'm here, okay?" She nodded her head slightly, quickly raising an arm up and wiping the tears away from her face.

"Okay…okay. I'm sorry." She cleared her throat before stepping back away from him. "Let's get these people out of here, so we can go back home." Delsin agreed with that plan and looked behind her to Eugene, who was admiring his Video powers, oblivious to what had just happened mere seconds ago.

"Hey, Eugene, come on, we gotta get these conduits out of their cages."

"Huh? Oh, right." Eugene discharged his powers before catching up with Delsin, walking beside him as Fetch moved on ahead toward the end of the hallway. "So…what happened? With Fetch I mean."

"She had another memory overload; this place still scares her, even after becoming a neon wielding badass."

"Oh man, is she okay now?"

"Yeah, she's alright, just shaken up a bit."

"Hey guys, the central base of operations is in the middle of the Station, I saw it when I first came here."

Delsin nodded his head. "Okay, but if we try and get in there, the alarm will sound. We'll have to come up with some kind of plan that doesn't involve getting the conduits hurt or killed."

In the central base in the middle of the Station, the DUP agents sitting watch caught sight of Delsin, Fetch and Eugene standing about and whispering to one another. "We've got three escapees! Sound the alarm!" Immediately, one from across the room flicked a rectangular plastic box open and pounded his fist against the brightly colored rounded button, causing the security system to kick in. "B-5! B-5, you're closet to their position, engage and put them down."

The squad leader raised a finger up to the side of his visor, simultaneously aiming his assault rifle with his other hand. "On it. Over. Alright team, let's wipe them out." Behind the leader stood three other squad members, all checking their rifles to make sure they were functioning and had enough ammo in store. They aimed their guns ahead of them as the leader began to move down the hallway that was in front of them, slowly approaching the three conduit's location.

The trio were cut short of their brainstorming as the alarm began to sound across the entire Station, red lights flashing as an air raid came upon their hearing at a blaring volume.

Covering their ears, Fetch nudged her shoulder into Delsin's side, catching his attention. "Ow! What was that for?" She rolled her eyes before quickly letting go of one of her ears and pointing upwards at the air vent that he and Eugene had crawled out of when they first arrived.

Delsin glanced up at the air vent himself, walking underneath it and hopping into the air, grabbing a hold of the still open grate. "Alright!" He grunted softly as he pulled himself up into the vent, turning back around and holding a hand out for both Fetch and Eugene. "Come on!"

Eugene allowed Fetch to go first, watching her jump up and grab a hold of Delsin's hand before slipping the rest of the way in with a sudden Neon dash. "Whoa, watch it there, Laser Girl. Alright, Game Boy, you're up! Let's go!" Eugene ran forward, taking a small leap forward and gripping the grate with both hands, he used Fetch's tactic and triggered a small pair of Angel wings, dashing himself forward into the vent soon after Delsin moved out of the way. Delsin poked his head back out, arching it downwards, now seeing the hallway upside down. Instantly the door on the far side blasted open, revealing a small squad of DUP solders with guns ready to fire. "Oh crap…" With ease, Delsin pulled himself back into the vent, thinking up a smart move and grabbing a hold of the grate, yanking it up with him and trying his best to retighten the screws before no longer having enough time. "Jeez!" He whispered harshly as he spun around and followed close behind Fetch and Eugene.

Cool and collected, the DUP soldiers entered inside the hallway, missing Delsin's act by just a few seconds. The squad leader aimed his sights from down to up, slowly lowering the gun away from his face. "Son of a bitch- They're in the vents! Shoot the vents!" His squad mates responded quickly, aiming their guns straight up at the vent and pulling the trigger on each gun.

The bullets broke through the thin metal shelling of the air vent, ricocheting off of the opposite wall and bouncing furiously at all angles. A stray bullet punctured Delsin in the side torso, causing him to let out a small yelp as sparks of Neon spurted out, phasing through the bullet holes and falling to the ground in front of the three soldiers. "Got a hit! Continue firing!" All four soldiers began to light up the vent with all they had, forcing Delsin to keep his head down as he tried to pick up the pace back toward the outside. Fetch and Eugene heard the bullets but kept going, as that would been Delsin's orders to them if they had decided to stop and try to help him out. Fetch reached the end of the air vent, exiting herself to the outside with a push of Neon, Eugene following in suit with Video. They both immediately looked back, eyeing up at the vent, hearing only bullets ricocheting at an immense rate. Then silence filled the both the vent and the air outside as the shooting had stopped but nothing else, not the sound of thumping from Delsin trying to escape, nothing.

Fetch slowly widened her eyes, hopping up to the vent and using her Neon powers as a source of light. "Delsin!" Her voice echoed throughout the vent, traveling down to the far side of darkness. She inhaled and exhaled softly as she began to lower her head down; believing Delsin was caught and dragged back down to the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the glimpse of a shimmering light down at the far side of vent, she instantly shot her head back up and squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at what the source of light might've been. Deep down, the soft sound of lasers could be heard from afar, projecting closer with each passing second, closer and closer. Fetch's eyes returned to the normal, only to become wide again when she soon realized what it was she was seeing; quickly she ducked her head down, dropping from the vent. Out of the darkness blasted out a bright streak of Neon, the sounds of a yell could be heard from within the light. The trail of Neon led down to the snow as a figure crash landed not too far away from Fetch and Eugene. "Holy shit!" Both Fetch and Eugene made a break toward the figure, trudging their way through the snow before approaching the bright light that was now dimming away slowly. The figure revealed himself to be Delsin, coughing silently to himself as he began to pick himself up off of the freezing ground. "Del! You're alive!"

Delsin turned his head and looked up at both of his fellow conduit buddies, letting out another cough as he nodded his head. "Wowza!" He shook his head back and forth at an excessive speed, releasing a small sound of his lips blowing air out, resembling the sound that a horse makes. "Alright, now, to that Central Command Center, yeah?"

Fetch proceeded to help Delsin up, gripping his hand and yanking him up to his feet. "You nearly gave me a scare there. You ass." She curled her fingers into a fist and punched his shoulder lightly, her eyes glaring up at him.

"Ow…well, I mean, did you really think I was gonna get captured that easily?" He rose a hand up, rubbing his shoulder gently, waiting for the sharp pain to reside.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know, you do stupid shit all of the time. But for some stupid reason no matter how dire the situation is, you always find a way to bring humor in and make things seem like they're gonna be okay."

Delsin scoffed silently, forming a small smile on his lips as he dropped his hand from his shoulder. "Well it _is_ kind of my job to be the fun guy in this world, I mean what's the point of living if you can't just let loose and have pure, genuine fun? Plus with the added bonus of powers, it doubles the fun." He snapped his fingers, watching a small streak of Neon form between the two tips. "So, don't worry so much next time, alright? I'll be fine, always will be."

"Did anybody ever tell you that you can act like a dick sometimes?" Fetch smirked up at him, trying hard to conceal it.

"…I mean- Reggie once told me I was…twice I think. No, it was- it was a double dick." He let out a small chuckle before nodding his head. "Yeah, it was a double dick…"

Fetch could see that he was having visions of better times when Reggie was still alive and took a step closer, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Delsin. Really. I know what it's like to lose somebody you love." She could hear a sniffle come from him as he wrapped an arm around her.

Eugene approached the two, slightly tilting his head. "Yeah, we're both here for you, together until the end. Always." He watched as Delsin slowly lifted his head up to look directly at him, a grin forming on his lips as he brought an arm out.

"Psh, come here, you big nerd." He giggled softly as Eugene walked into the hug, wrapping his arms around both Delsin and Fetch. "To be honest, I couldn't ask for two better friends. Seriously guys, you and Betty are all I have left. I can't lose you all as well." He stuffed his head in between the collars of their clothing, taking in a deep breath before pulling away, patting their shoulders lightly. "Alright, now let's finish this and get these conduits free already. Eugene, I'm gonna-

Delsin's voice was cut off due to his phone beginning to ring. He reached in his back pocket and pulled it out and looked at the contact. "Unknown…" In the back of his mind he thought it could be the informant that contacted him the day after he got into Seattle but didn't jump to conclusions as he cautiously hit the send button and put the phone on speaker. "Hello?"

"Delsin Rowe. It's 'me'."

"You're the guy that contacted me before, right?"

"That's correct. Look I know you're here in Curdun Cay- In fact, I can see you outside right now. I could care less if you have me on speaker; I kind of need Fetch and Eugene to hear this too. I'm gonna cut the power to the entire Station from where I'm at, forcing the DUP to have to resort to the backup generator, while they are doing that, I need you to somehow get up to the Central Command Tower and disable the locks on the cages. That'll free the conduits and you can escort them out, but note that the DUP will probably have the power back on by then so be prepared for a fight. Warn them as well as you pass by."

Fetch arched her head closer to the phone. "What about me and 'Teen Angel?"

"You two help get the conduits across the ravine, once across that, they are free. Free from all of this. Just tell them to go and live their own lives, live in freedom. Now hurry, we don't have much time, I'm gonna cut the power in 15 seconds, be ready."

The call ended immediately after and Delsin stuffed his phone back into his pocket in a hurry, turning his head up to the Central Command Tower. "Okay, Eugene, I'm gonna need a swap, a boost up and a wingman. Think you can do that?" The silence from the shy conduit caused Delsin to gaze to his side, seeing that he had already transformed back into his full Angel form. A wide smile appeared on his face. "Alright, that's what I'm talking about."

Eugene extending his hand out, allowing Delsin to hop upon his palm and press his hand against one of the massive fingertips, swapping Neon out for Video. "Once the power goes out, trigger your invisibility, spawn your wingman and fly into the tower. Ready…"

The two waited as patiently as they could, hoping to not mess the plan up by a small flaw. Seconds passed, nothing, only the flickering light of an arched lamp was to keep them occupied while they stood at the ready. Delsin could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he breathed quickly and deeply, hearing the oncoming wave of the power shutting down each section of the Station till it was engulfed in complete darkness.

Eugene tensed his arm, raising it slightly higher than before and with a grunt swung his arm forward, releasing Delsin at the peak of the ark. "Go!" Delsin acted fast, instantly pulling his arm back to trigger his invisibility power whilst creating an Angel wingman of his own right by his side. A chuckle escaped his lips as his pair of digital wings formed on his back, granting him a few seconds of flight before cutting out, forcing him to create another pair to stay afloat.

The tower came closer into his peripheral vision, creeping forward every couple of feet or so till he was right above the massive structure. Cutting off his wings by will, Delsin dived straight down toward the tower, his eyebrows narrowing together as he gritted his teeth. "Coming through! Super-powered delivery! Woohoo!" With a prolonged hoot, he smashed straight through the concrete roof, flipping forward in the air before crash landing on his back with a loud groan. "Oh…okay…now _that_ hurt." As he began to get back up on his feet, several DUP agents surrounded him, their rifles at the ready, watching Delsin stand up and put his hands up with slowly drooping shoulders. "Awww dip…"

Fetch turned her head up as Eugene hovered high into the air, watching the tower from afar. She took her phone out soon after and dialed Delsin's number, hearing the thrill of the line go off two times before the call picked up. "Hey Delsin, you get the console turned off yet?" On the opposite end, she could hear the sounds of whooshing broadswords, rays and a torrent of pixels firing off as from her and Eugene's view they could see the aura of blue appearing on the walls of the tower every second or so. The sounds were gone, replaced with the heavy breathing and grunting of both Delsin and a DUP agent.

"Not…yet! Hiyah! Now stay down! Nice job, wingman." He threw a quick thumbs up at the angel as he lowered the phone from his ear to take a small breather before stumbling his way to the console at the front end of the room. His wingman dissolved into tiny pixels, disappearing from the area until next time. Once slamming into the console, Delsin put the phone back up to his ear, still breathing quite heavy. "Okay, I'm here, oh man…that hurt."

"You gonna be alright there? Or do I have to call the ambulance for poor little Delsin?" Fetch teased him, letting out a quite giggle.

"Oh shove it." He hissed before focusing on the computer screen in front of him, seeing numerous lines of text appear. "What in the- I don't have time for this." He stepped away from the computer, aiming his hand forward and projecting a small green laser right in the center of the screen. In an instant, three rotating daggers appeared on either side of him, spinning faster and faster before accelerating forward toward the computer. On Fetch's end, she heard the small explosions of the blades and the crackling of the now demolished computer, but in return, noticed that inside of the Station, the cages were now unlocked.

"D, the cages are unlocked, guess brute force does work-sometimes. Angel and I are gonna get these guys out of here, you get down here and clear the way of any DUPs who want to mess with us."

"Sounds like a raggedy good plan. Meet you halfway." With that, he disconnected the call, slipping the phone back in his pocket while staring out at the window in front of both him and the console. "I might be able to fly back to the holding cells if I had a satellite dish or something." Delsin, triggering an answer in his head, slowly lifted his eyes up to the ceiling of the tower, proceeding to smack the palm of his hand against his face. "Oh, I'm so stupid-I'm practically standing on one!" He slapped his hands against his pant legs before triggering his wings and dashing straight up through the makeshift hole he had recently created, stopping just short of the top and dismounting onto the roof. "Alright, now, let's turn this big son of a bitch…"

He walked behind the large satellite dish to the left of him and stretched his arms out as far as he could, barely wrapping his fingers around the groove on each side of the dish. "Ow. Wow- Wow- Wow. Okay." Taking in a deep breath, he tensed his arms up, using all of his strength to slowly turn the dish to the right position. "Come on…! Ah forget this. I got a better idea." Releasing his fingers from the grooves, he shook off the aching paining on the tips before forming a digital broadsword in his hands, winding up the swing and hitting the dish as hard as he could against the edge, watching it spin right where he wanted it without passing over. "Alright, now you better work or I'm gonna be one, pissed. Conduit."

Delsin exhaled sharply before taking a running start head on into the dish, transforming his body into digital pixels along with his pair of wings, feeling a strong suction between him and satellite dish. In an instant, short radio wave boosts formed in a row aiming high into the air, carrying Delsin through each till he reached the very last, reforming his body back to normal with a quick boost of the final wave. "Oh, hell yeah!" His wings appeared before him again as he used both sets to travel the whole distance from the tower back to the rear entrance of the Station. Cutting the last flight short, he descended toward the earth, throwing his hands in a downward motion to trigger his Video thrusters. The thrusters allowed him to both slow his descent but also allow him to levitate himself back up higher due to an Airwave. Delsin planted his feet on the thick snowy ground with a soft thud, rushing back into the Station through the vent, using his wings to quickly dash through the shaft and out through the open grate with a grunt. "Ooh…okay. Fetch, I'm back inside. Where are you guys?"

"Del, we're opening up the cages for the others, soon a whole platoon of DUPs is gonna be on our asses plus that squad leader."

"Oh- I hate that _dickbag_. Okay, I'm gonna cut through the kitchen, it'll be faster to reach you. Stay safe."

"Don't worry, we'll be waiting. Alright, guys, come on!"

Delsin ended the call before proceeding down the hall to the end and making a right, seeing the brightly lit sign that read, "Cafeteria". He pushed the doors open, stopping to get his bearings. In front of him sat rows of benches all lined up properly from one end of the room to the other. "Jesus Christ…" With a shake of his head, he spotted the actual kitchen and ran towards it, vaulting through the serving window. He landed on his back, rolling onto his feet with a groan. "Oh, never again…okay, maybe more in the future. But right now- No." He brought a hand behind him and stretched out his back before stiffening his body, a quiet growl could be heard from behind. With caution, Delsin slowly turned himself around, his eyes shifting toward the source of the sound. Before him stood a large, black Great Dane, it's teething slightly showing through the growl it was producing toward the mysterious figure. "Hey buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you, it's just your good pal, Delsin. Good old Delsin. That's it."

The dog silenced it's growling as Delsin began to extend his hand forward, almost touching the dog's nose. "There you go. Nothing to be- Gah!" Instantly, the dog opened its mouth, slamming its jaw right down on Delsin's fingers, keeping a tight grip. "No- Ow! Get. Off!" Delsin tried his best to pry his fingers loose but was only dragging the dog across the floor, both slamming into several cupboards and drawers as they tussled. "Let go! You demon spawn!" He hit the back of his head against the edge of metal cover after giving a quick jerk to loosen his fingers out. He raised his other hand and began to rub his head furiously, the pain throbbing as he slammed the dog into a bottom cupboard, the pots and pans clanging against the tile surface as they fell out one by one. Afterwards, the dog released its teeth from Delsin's hand only to lunge onto his chest, barking and growling, trying to bite his face. Delsin reacted quickly, shaking his fingers off beforehand then grabbing a hold of the dog, keeping him at bay only several inches from his face.

The fight led Delsin to hit his head yet again, this time against a hanging frying pan which he then took down, holding it up in front of his face to help keep the dog away. "You've been a very bad doggie! Goddamnit! Just get off!" He used his strength, managing just barely to get the dog away from him and onto the floor, watching its feet skid across the ground before finding some traction. "Um- Uh…" Thinking quickly, he turned his head toward a pan that was on a burner, grabbing the bottle of olive oil and pouring a massive amount into the pan, watching a flame erupt from the center. This generated Smoke which he absorbed in a flash, clenching and relaxing fist before forming a small orb in his hand. "Here, go fetch!" With a grunt, he tossed the orb of Smoke directly at the dog, watching it instinctively hop into the air to grab the mistaken ball. The dog caught the orb in his mouth, clenching its teeth down to seize it except once applying pressure, the orb exploded in its mouth with wisps of Smoke swirling in and out, causing the dog to go into a frenzy and leave the kitchen.

Delsin shook his head, placing his hands on his knees as he breathed deeply. "Good lord…and I used to beg to Betty for a puppy when I was younger. She was right. They can be a pain, in more ways than one." He stood up straight and ran through the back doors of the kitchen, appearing back in one of the main hangars of the Station. "Fetch! Fetch!" He immediately jumped back, seeing a whole line of conduits run around the corner and past him, towards the exit.

"Over here, D!" The voice echoed throughout the hall, instantly getting drowned out by the immense clattering of footsteps. "Delsin!" The voice once again went away after a second.

"Fetch! Where are you?" Delsin entered into the crowd, lightly pushing his way through the rushing mob toward the massive metal doors, serving as the exit out of the Station. "Fetch!"

"Delsin, I'm outside! Come on!" Fetch yelled at the top of her lungs, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Hurry, before they get the power up and running again!"

Delsin heard the warning and picked up the pace; running at the end of the other escapees to ensure no one was left behind. "Alright! Whoo!" He shouted, hopping into the air before running again. His excitement could be heard by Fetch, who let out a small giggle. His jubilation was soon cut short as the ground began to rumble underneath his feet, causing him to draw his attention behind. He shot his head back forward immediately and continued running as fast as he could toward the outside. Closing in behind him was a burly DUP agent, roaring loudly as he stomped faster against the ground. "Whoa! Oh, it's 'you' again, look, we gotta stop meeting like this!" The 'Rook' didn't carry a chain gun with him this time as it would've slowed his pursuit with Delsin. He only charged full speed ahead similar to a rhinoceros or a juggernaut. "Fetch!" Delsin called her name out as the 'Rook' winded his fist up and swung at a crate in front of his path, smashing it to a hundred tiny pieces. "Fetch! Close the doors!"

Fetch frantically turned her head from left to right before staring back ahead at him. "Delsin, are you sure? I don't know how to close it with the power off!"

"Just close it!"

"Ugh!" Fetch complied, running to one side of the large mechanical doors and pushing her body against it with all of her might. She could hear the loud creaking of the gears rolling on both ends of the door as she grunted loudly, offering all of her weight into pushing the doors closed. "Delsin, hurry the hell up!"

Delsin ducked his head down as the 'Rook' took a swing, never once losing his momentum as he pursued his small target. "Kind of hard when you got an admirer chasing you- Ah!" He squealed, stumbling forward as the agent knocked away a cartload of crates. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Just hurry!"

Fetch huffed as she growled silently under her breath. "What…have I…told you? Do not. Rush me! You hurry up! You think this is easy?"

"You think _this_ is easy?!" Delsin saw the doors approaching closer and closer as he sprinted as fast as he could, trying his best to literally stay one step ahead of his rival. "Okay now, hold it!"

"Hold it?! What the hell do you mean hold it? There's nothing to hold! It's closing by itself now!"

"Goddamnit! Move it, Delsin! Move it! Come on! Come on!" As the doors were beginning to shut out the only light in the entire hangar, he gazed his head down, spotting a large crowbar lying atop of a small box just ahead of him. Extending his arm out, he bent his back over, grabbing a hold of the tool and gripping it tightly in his hand as he soon reached the exit. Delsin pulled his arm back, arching it over his head and releasing his grip on the crowbar, throwing it directly at the opening between the doors. The tool was caught right in the middle, holding the doors in place for whatever time it allowed him to escape. With a grunt, he tucked a leg in, falling down into a slide, the massive mechanical doors passing over him as he reached up and yanked the crowbar out of its holding position, allowing the exit to fully close and cut the 'Rook's chase short.

Delsin extended his leg back out, lifting himself up in a single motion as he looked over at Fetch, breathing heavily. "You okay?"

"Am I okay? Look who's about to have a seizure and fall over dead." She approached him, motioning her finger up and dropping it quickly.

"You…know what I mean. Come on…I was attacked by both a dog and another one of those 'guys'. Give me a break." He placed a hand on his chest as he shuffled his feet around the thick snowy ground, leaving trails of where he recently was.

She figured she ought to give him a straight answer since that sounded not so good on his side. "Yeah, I'm okay. Well, if it makes you feel any better, look." She lifted an arm up and pointed behind him, watching Delsin turn his head back and stare at the immense group of conduits bundled together not too far away from them. "You got them out." She crossed her arms over her chest and formed a small smile on her lips.

Delsin slowly shook his head as he dropped his hand from his chest and stood back up straight again. "No…" He turned back to her. "…we did it." He saw her expression change to a somewhat surprised one as he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "It's true. I couldn't have done it without you and Eugene, speaking of which, where is that beast anyway?" His answer was immediately answered as the sound of flapping wings could be heard from behind.

"Here, Delsin. I just unlocked the other side of the Station; they are free to do as they please now." Eugene bent his head down slightly.

Delsin gave him a nod of the head. "Good. The same goes for all of you as well." He directed his attention towards the group of conduits standing nearby. "You are all free to do what you want now. Live in freedom. Live your own lives and let no government tell you otherwise. You got me? Now, you're free, good luck out there. I hope to bump into you guys again, but in less hectic situations." He chuckled lightly as he smiled, watching as each individual smiled back and used their own unique and different powers to escape into freedom, disappearing from sight in a matter of minutes. Some flew, some used the environment, and others dashed and sprinted their ways out, leaving only the trio to themselves. "So…I guess that's it then."

"Yeah, I guess so." Fetch walked up beside Delsin, seeing the remaining conduits make their way out, they too disappearing from sight in an instant. She scoffed lightly as she shook her head, forming her hand into a fist and giving Delsin's shoulder a light punch. "We did well."

"Ah…ha!" Delsin focused his attention back to her, bringing a hand up and rubbing his bruised shoulder. "Dog fight, remember? Literally." He winced under his breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"Aw, well I'm sure you'll get better. You always do." She stepped forward, standing on her tiptoes as she grabbed his cheek and gave it a slight tug, resulting in him letting out a chuckle. She giggled, planting her feet back on the ground as she slapped the back of her hand against his shoulder. "Come on, we should head back home now."

Delsin winced once again before raising an eyebrow and turning around, walking behind her tracks. "What about the Station?"

Fetch shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, let them wallow in their defeat. We all did well today and to be absolutely honest with you, I am beat to hell. I haven't had sleep since the night we took Augustine down."

"It makes me wonder…where they put her. Augustine, I mean."

"In a jail cell, where she belongs, along with one of those power-restriction devices she put on all of us, well excluding you of course."

"I don't know…" Delsin began, walking beside her as they approached Eugene, who had his hand lowered and opened for them to climb up upon. "…just seems like…something bad is gonna happen…and it will happen soon."

Fetch stepped upon Eugene's open palm, along with Delsin and sat down in the middle. "I think we all need a rest, you need rest. When's the last time you've gotten sleep?" Eugene spread his wings out and levitated high into the air before flying forward, heading back to Seattle.

"I slept last night. On the billboard."

"I mean in a real bed, with covers. Do you understand what I'm saying here?" She enunciated her words jokingly, forming a smile on her face. "The only other time you slept was when you were at my place that night…after our big drug bust together."

Delsin slowly nodded his head, remembering that night and how much fun it turned out to be. "Yeah, and you punched me in the chest, said you were planning on going into boxing or something like that."

Fetch laughed, glancing down at her crossed legs then back up at him. "Hey man, it could happen. I could Neon sucker punch the shit out of you."

"Oh boy, please don't do that." Delsin shook his head rapidly, snickering silently. "Then I called you a 'Sentimental Psychopath'."

"That you did. And I mean, I guess I am one."

"Not to me, I was just trying to find a good comeback that night."

She scoffed, grinning to herself as she began messing with one of her bootlaces. "Well it was pretty stupid, along with everything else you do. But hey, that's you, right?"

"Oh come on, you love it, don't lie. I'm practically your breath of fresh air." Delsin crossed his arms over his chest, taking a step forward and passing by her. "You like me." He dropped his arms as he began to climb his way up to Eugene's shoulder.

Fetch raised her free hand up to her hair and ran her fingers through it, shaking her head with a small chuckle. "In your dreams, 'Smoketastic-Man'." She muttered under her breath before leaning herself back flat against Eugene's palm, sighing heavily with her hands behind her head.

Delsin clambered on top of Eugene's shoulder and lightly tapped his knuckles against the armored plating. "How you holding up, big guy?"

Eugene turned his head slightly before facing forward. "I'm alright." His booming voice showed signs of his actual self talking and not the medieval talk that he would naturally do when in this form of his. "I'm just glad we got them all out without any casualties…"

"Same here, man. Same here. So I gotta ask, do you have that feeling in you as well?"

"That something else might crop up later on in our lives?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, I guess you can say I have that feeling too. But don't you think it would've happened by now?"

"I don't know. It just doesn't feel right to me. Almost as if Augustine is still out there…I never did see her get taken away."

"None of us did. The people got their hands on her. They demanded justice and I think you and I both know they weren't gonna treat her lightly."

"Hm, true. Well, I shouldn't really get all worked up on this. We deserved this victory, and now it's resting time. You gonna be alright?"

"Don't worry; I'll get us there in no time. You and her sleep. By the time you guys wake up, we'll be back in our beloved city."

"Cool beans." He knocked his knuckles against Eugene's armor once more before sliding down his arm toward his open hand, seeing that Fetch was already asleep, snoring peacefully to herself. "Huh." He crouched down, examining her sleep pattern before noticing that he could see her breath due to how cold it was in the Alpines. He then slipped his vest off and jacket, wrapping them over her. "Three layers ought to help her. I could care less if I get frostbite or whatever." He looked down at his red flannel button-up shirt, rolling the sleeves down each arm to provide some warmth for himself as he laid across from Fetch on Eugene's palm, adjusting his position before breathing deeply and closing his eyes into sleep.


	5. Paper Trail

Paper Trail

* * *

Sunday, 8:00 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

The old-fashioned radio flipped over to 8:00 AM, triggering the morning radio station on its speaker. "Good morning, Seattleites and Salmon Bay-ites. We got ourselves a beautiful Sunday approaching our way; let's kick it off with some 'Strange Talk', here's 'Climbing Walls'. We hope you all have a wonderful morning and we'll come back to you soon."

The announcer cut off his transmission and the song began to play, leading to the stirring and awakening of Delsin who was lying on his bed in the back of the Longhouse. He slowly opened his eyes, his ears tuning in and catching the song on the radio on the table behind him. He fully awoke, arching his head back to see the upside-down radio in front of him. "Eugene got us back…? And also put us in our beds?" Confusion was mixing with his sleepy expression as he swung his legs over the bedside and stood up, reaching his arm out and grabbing a hold of the small portable radio, tucking it underneath his arm. He instantly recognized the song and curved a small smile before noticing that the crowbar he had used to escape Curdun Cay was placed on the small table behind where the radio previously was. He picked up the tool and twisted it around in his hand, examining the rust that covered the whole thing.

"Should clean this later on…" He then heard the sound of plates clattering halfway across the room and the muffled sounds of people talking to one another. "Hm…better let them know I'm awake…and alive." He set the crowbar down and walked through the living room area of the Longhouse, the TV on but with no volume as it showed a news report of the breakout of Curdun Cay. "Psh…" He passed it, seeing that some hospital curtains were still put up with patients still on their sick beds, despite him taking the Concrete shards out of their arms and legs. He knew in the back of his mind that they were still just normal human beings and that they didn't acquire the fast-healing ability such as him, Fetch and Eugene.

Walking by, Delsin rounded the corner, turning his sights to the lit up white board. The x-rays of several patients with the shards easily visible were still pinned up for everyone to see. "She got what she deserved..." The sounds of the clattering plates weren't too far away, in fact just around the lit up white board which he rounded as well, seeing that the curtains that were placed as a wall were taken down, revealing much more of the Longhouse from his point of view.

Before him, he saw Eugene, Fetch, and Betty sitting around a small circular table, serving platefuls of pancakes covered in syrup, sausages, eggs, bacon and toast with butter slathered across them to one another. Betty took notice of Delsin standing a little ways away and formed a bright smile on her face. "Delsin. You're up." Fetch and Eugene quickly turned their heads back, seeing that Delsin was in fact there and got up off of their chairs, rushing towards him and hugging him tightly.

"Delsin! You're okay." Fetch exclaimed through a muffled voice as her face was buried in his chest, she pulled up, a smile of her own greeting him. "We thought you had died…"

Delsin had wrapped his free arm around the two before letting go and slowly raising an eyebrow. "Died…? What do you mean?"

"You had given Fetch your vest and jacket, when I got you two back here, you weren't waking up…you were pale and ice cold. Betty came to us and brewed a hot tea, opening your mouth and pouring it down your throat. After awhile your temp was going back up to being normal so we let you sleep." Eugene raised a finger, pushing his glasses back up to his eyes. "I'm just glad you're not dead."

Delsin glanced at each of the two then at Betty, raising the arm that had the radio tucked underneath up for a second. A soft chuckle sounded out. "Betty…you found my old radio?"

She nodded her head, her bright smile still intact. "I figured you would appreciate that, I dug through my closet and found it in the corner collecting dust, so I took the batteries out, swapped them out with new ones and cleaned it off. It looked good as new."

"A-And this song, I haven't heard it-

"-since you were 22 years old. I uh, gave them a little call. Everybody knows Delsin Rowe now. So they kindly accepted my request and there you go." She grinned brightly at him, a soft giggle escaping afterwards as she continued to eat her pancakes. "You have such odd taste in music."

He scoffed. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all." She nodded her head toward the empty chair beside her, beckoning for him to sit down. He obliged, setting the radio down on the table next to the abundance of food. Fetch and Eugene returned to their seats, continuing to eat their breakfast.

"Are you okay, Del?" Fetch asked, shifting her eyes over toward him.

"Yeah, sure, why?"

"It's just…your eyes…they look bloodshot."

Delsin blinked a few times before looking away. "They are, huh?"

"Yeah…you didn't sleep on the way back did you?"

"I did…for a little while…but then…the nightmares came…"

She dropped her shoulders slightly, a frown appearing on her face. "Augustine…?"

"Yeah…and Reg…"

Betty shifted her eyes over to him, taking another bite out of her half-eaten pancake.

Delsin sighed heavily, closing his eyelids for a moment before opening them again. "It's my entire fault…"

Fetch reacted instantly, grabbing a hold of his hand and squeezing it. "Hey. No, it isn't."

"Yes it is…" He shook his head, his eyes staring at the wooden texture on the table. "I trusted Hank…hell, even you told me not to trust him and I didn't listen…now I gotta deal with the consequences of my actions…with the loss of my brother."

Eugene shuffled around a bit in his chair. "Yeah but Hank only did it to see his daughter. Not that that makes any of this better…"

Delsin shrugged his shoulders, inhaling and exhaling deeply before looking over at Fetch, his eyes examining her attire. "You're still wearing my stuff."

Fetch glanced down at herself, realizing that she was in fact still wearing his vest and jacket. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Here-

"No, no, no, it's alright. You can wear them." He grinned slightly at her, resting his fingers atop of hers. "So…I'm actually surprised none of the Conduits came here to Seattle. Guess they figured there were enough of us here." He snickered.

Fetch curved a half-smile. "Psh, yeah maybe." She picked her fork back up and scooped up a piece of sausage. "Betty. I said it before, but I shall say it again, you are the _best _cook I have ever met. Better than 'Olaf's', that's for damn sure."

Betty chuckled, finishing up her plate before setting the utensils down on it, pushing it a little ways from her. "Thank you, dear. I'm glad someone approves." She slowly raised an eyebrow up and glared over at Delsin, a smirk on her face.

Delsin instantly caught the tone and message and set his fork down, his eyes widening. "What?" He shrugged his shoulders and kept them there as he felt a slight push come from Fetch.

"Delsin! How dare you!"

"What? I mean- I've never- It's good! It's not the greatest food in the world- but it's good! It's _good_!"

"…I oughta Neon slap you across the face…this food is heaven coated on top of a layer of already good heaven. Maybe even more than that." She picked up her plate and extended her arms out toward him, holding it out in front of him. She noticed him lean back, which drove her to further hold the plate up in front of him, leaning forward on her end. "Look at it. Look at it! This is _amazing _I tell you- Amazing!" She sat back down in her chair, picking up a piece of her toast and taking out a large portion of it. "Amazing…" She muttered with a slight muffled sound, her head shaking slowly at him. "Absolutely amazing…"

Betty got a laugh out of the whole scene and stood up out of her chair, taking her plate and utensils to the sink to wash them off. "You two don't kill each other now."

Delsin leaned back upright in his chair, letting out a fake heavy sigh of relief. "It was close, Betty, I'm telling you. Keep a leash on this one." He pointed his finger at Fetch, an expression of fear and disgust appearing on his face as he took another bite out of his pancake.

* * *

8:21 AM

"Oh! Grab that power up! Right there!"

"Wait- what?"

"Right there!"

"Wha- What power up? I don't see any."

"Are you blind?"

"I sure as hell better not be- oh! There it is!"

"Hurry before Eugene comes back around!"

"Think it might too late for that."

"No, no, Eugene- Wait- We can talk about this! I'm sure we can come to an agreement here."

"Maybe but-...Nah. Broadsword!"

"No- No- Ah! Damnit! How is that even- Alright, Fetch here." Delsin took a deep breath, passing the Playstation 4 controller over to Fetch, who happily took it in her hands and sat down in the middle between the two. "So this is what you play every day, huh Eugene?"

"Yup! Just Me and Heaven's Hellfire whenever I get the chance, which is pretty much all of the time. I never knew it was compatible with the PS4 though."

"You'd think a Video-technician like yourself would know this."

Eugene snickered, starting up another match through the lobby menu. "I'm not _that_ good, Del. Come on now."

Delsin chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "If you say so." His attention was soon turned to his ringing cell phone, which was lying on the table next to the case of the game. He got off of the couch and walked to the table, picking up the phone and hitting the send button. "Hello?" Silence carried on throughout the line as he slowly raised an eyebrow and began pacing around the room. "Hello?"

"Delsin…Rowe…"

"Yeah that's me, who is this…?"

"Olaf's Neon sign…uncover the truth…"

"The truth? The truth about- Wait…your voice…I recognize it…you're that girl from Curdun Cay, the one with the mask over her face."

"Hurry…"

The prolonged whispering was cut off by the dial tone going off, indicating that she had ended the call.

"Crap…guess this is the only way I'm gonna find out why she's stalking me…and knows my name." He turned his head behind him, watching Fetch and Eugene become majorly engrossed with the video game.

"Oh I got you now, Teen Angel!"

"No way! How did you pull that off?"

"Skills, yo!" She laughed and began a new match on her end while Delsin on the other hand, put his phone into his pant pocket and grabbed his vest, slipping it on and exiting out of the Longhouse through the front door. Fetch glanced over to the door, hearing the small creak that it always made and just barely managed to see Delsin slip outside, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she looked down at the ground for a few solid seconds before returning back to the game with Eugene.

* * *

Queen Anne District

9:08 AM

Seattle, WA

Delsin entered back into the premises of Seattle, immediately making his way toward the Market District and to the 'Olaf's Sea Shack' Neon sign, which also served as both the largest Neon sign in the city and as Fetch's sniperette nest. The journey was a breeze once he acquired a quick swap of Video with Neon itself and Neon dashed his way to the sign, an instant dose of déjà vu entered his system as he climbed the ladder into the interior. "Still hasn't changed…everything's still the same, hair dye, size negative boots, bras…um yeah…let's focus on the task at hand here, Rowe." He mentally slapped himself and began investigating around the nest, not seeing anything out of the already ordinary space until the corner of his eye caught a distinct stencil art etched into the metal plating of the sign. "What the…" He turned his attention to the stencil art, noticing it was an artwork of a dove, an origami style dove. "So she was here…" He scanned his eyes across the wall, seeing if there were any other drawings similar to the first, unbeknownst to him, Celia, the girl from the rectangular shaped cage in Curdun Cay was standing right behind him, silent as ever. The eeriness caused Delsin to instinctively turn his head, only to find that there was nothing there, just the opposite side of the sign, which he took to inspect as well for any other origami art. Celia was now standing at the very edge of the catwalk, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side as she watched him investigate.

"Delsin…" The soft prolonged whispering managed to divert Delsin away from the wall and turn his head toward her.

"Hey. So it is you. Look, I'm not gonna hurt you, I just want to know what you know, okay?" Celia stayed silent, putting a foot back behind her. "Please. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can both be out of each other's hair." Delsin put his hands out in front of him, cautiously taking steps toward the girl. "What's your name…? Mine's- Well, actually, you already know my name…somehow. How _do _you know my name?" She tilted her head to the other side, twisting her upper body around slowly. "Please…I'm not gonna take your powers, I promise. I have enough as it is." Delsin was now only a few feet away from her. He took the opportunity to extend one of his hands out further, reaching for one on her end. She reacted, taking a full step back and transforming into a shroud of Paper, dashing her way out of the interior of the sign and onto one of the nearby buildings.

"This way…" The whispering echoed loud in Delsin's ears as he stood over the edge, looking across at her.

"Paper? I guess they make Conduits out of anything these days…"

Celia waited for Delsin, who triggered his Neon dash and leaped across from the sign to the building she was standing on. Upon arrival, she formed back into Paper, riding the wind currents to propel faster, dashing away from him and leaping over to another building, once again turning around and beckoning him to follow. Delsin followed close behind her, reaching across the gap with Neon and chasing her from building to building, wherever she leaped, he leaped, she dropped down, he dropped down, his eyes locked on her paper trail till she reached the Crocodile. Delsin, noticing that she stopped, ran full speed ahead on foot, determined to tackle her and subdue her, only to be stopped by the sudden disappearance of her. Celia had burst into Paper itself and vanished from sight, leaving Delsin all by himself on the building next to the Crocodile.

"Damnit…! Now how am I gonna find her?" He slammed his hands against the stone railing of the building and sighed heavily, closing his eyes and re-opening them as he glanced up at the clear bright sky. He soon felt his phone go off and fished it out of his back pocket, seeing that it was Fetch. "Hey, Fetch."

"D? What happened? Where did you go? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got a call from this other Conduit; she wanted me to meet her at your sniper nest."

"You mean the Neon sign? Why?"

"Apparently, she knows my name and everything, so I went there and it was going great until I saw her turn into Paper…"

"Paper? What the hell? That's a power?"

"Yeah, you got me there as well. Anyway, I gave chase to her after pleading for her to just not go, and then as I got close again, she vanished into a cloud of Paper, gone from sight."

"Huh, weird. And did you see her at Curdun Cay?"

"Actually, yeah. Eugene and I met her when we broke in, she whispered my name but as soon as I mentioned Augustine, she freaked out, vanishing from her cage as well."

"You think maybe we should look into it more? I don't ever recall Augustine mentioning this girl, we'll wait- what's her name?"

"I don't know. I asked her but-

"-Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, if she crops up again, we'll tag along with you; figure this out together as family."

"Family, huh? Getting a little comfortable?"

"You two are the third family I've had in my entire life. That's including Betty. I can't lose you two schmucks now."

"Heh, well, glad we could be of service to you."

"Ha. Ha. Funny. Now get on back here, I gotta kick your butt in Heaven's Hellfire. See if you're any good."

"Laser-Girl. You are so on."

* * *

Akomish Reservation

10:28 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

Delsin had arrived back at the Reservation, taking off his vest and shoes as he entered inside of the Longhouse where Eugene and Fetch still were. "Hey guys."

Eugene poked his head up from his phone to quickly glance at him before gluing his eyes back on the screen. "Hey, Delsin."

Fetch was flipping through the TV stations with the remote, sitting cross legged while leaning her back against the edge of the couch. "Sup, D."

Delsin breathed softly as he flopped his body onto the couch, groaning quietly to himself.

"You okay?"

"Just…flabbergasted."

"…Who still says that these days?"

"Me."

"Huh, still trying to process everything revolving around this girl."

"Uh huh…" His voice slurred slightly as his mouth was gaped open.

"Well, maybe Augustine told her about you, about us."

"Uh…uh huh…"

Fetch raised an eyebrow in confusion to his response, turning her head back to see that he had immediately fallen asleep due to massive fatigue. "Hey, Eugene, I think he might still be suffering from Curdun Cay."

Eugene diverted his eyes over to Delsin, setting down his phone and leaning his body over his, resting a hand on his forehead. "He's significantly cold right now…that's not good."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he's locked himself out from reality."

"You mean from just going outside and chasing a girl with Paper powers?"

"No, I mean, from being traumatized, such as when Reggie died…that's still affecting him. While his body and talking are moving on, his mind just simply isn't. He's still in denial."

Fetch instantly knew how that was, the way she 'snapped' when her brother Brent died due to her getting drugged by his boss, Shane. "If anyone knows how that is, it's me. I'm still in denial too, even after killing Shane, that freaking bastard. I just want to-

She groaned, bending her head down, as she curled a fist on top of the couch. Eugene hesitated a second before cautiously extending his hand out to touch her shoulder. "Hey…" She felt the touch of his fingers and instantly jerked up before relaxing again.

"I'm sorry, I still have panic attacks every now and then, Brent always calmed me down, but…now he's gone…I would usually cling to a good memory of us together, surviving through life, the way he always protected me and loved me…the same way Delsin did. The night he absorbed my powers, we went on a huge drug bust together, rescued a few hookers from being captives and destroyed the drugs themselves. Afterwards, we cleaned up the docks and I allowed him to stay at my 'place' for awhile, I told him all about Shane and his gang and how it all went down from Curdun Cay to present. He sat there and listened to the whole thing, comforting me when I needed it, I asked him to stay the night and he said 'Of course'. He was so kind and gentle, and he is now still but that night felt…special, you know? I woke up the next day and he was gone from my place, off to go and find Augustine."

Eugene let go of her shoulder before crouching down next to her and staring at Delsin. "There are times when he can be…well, a dick. You and I know that from experience, but I think he's really trying to show sensitive side. I mean, Betty was near death and he had all of these events just slammed on his shoulders, I think his way of acting is a way of covering up the fact that he was scared or just a little. He was scared to make the wrong choices so he acts all defiant and occasionally, like a dick."

Fetch half understood what he was trying to say and raised an eyebrow towards him. "What are you trying to say…?"

Eugene formed his lips into a straight line before taking in a deep breath. "I'm saying that…maybe you should go easy on him more, he's got an entire city to take care of now, so many people asking and begging for help, it's bound to be overwhelming for him. We should take it easy, I'm not saying bow down and kiss his feet or anything like that. But just, less with the punching, the threats and the names." He quickly shifted his eyes elsewhere and breathed unevenly.

Fetch blinked a few times, taking in what he had just said before turning towards him. "I think you're right, Eugene. I should ease off on you guys. My life has been down the drain multiple times, you've seen the way I was, how I acted when I saw Shane in Curdun Cay, my emotions got mixed up, and I lost it again. There was no turning back, no more plucky girl from next door, just a remorseless laser killer out to stop drugs from ever happening again cause nobody else was gonna go through what Brent and I went through. No. Nobody else." She began to fight back against the lingering tears in her eyes, clearing her throat and resting her head against the edge of the couch. "So…um, what do we do now?"

Eugene patted her shoulder, glancing up at Delsin. "For now, we wait and hope to God that he can overcome this denial of his. It's only a matter of time before he faces his personal demons."

Fetch slowly nodded her head, sniffing silently before suddenly narrowing her eyes at Delsin. "Eugene…I don't think denial is what got him like this."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

She reached over and pulled Delsin toward her, turning him on his side a bit. Clearly visible, a dart was shot into his shoulder. "They drugged him…just like they did to me. You don't think Conduits can die from this, can they?" She looked over at Eugene, whose eyes widen upon reveal of the dart.

"No. I don't think so. Since we're all about two times more resilient than the normal human. But that doesn't mean we can't get knocked out or drugged up just the same. We'll just have to wait and see. There's nothing we can do for him but wait and hope that he wakes up." They both stared at each other then back at Delsin, hoping the end result wasn't fatal.


	6. The Tar Sisters

The Tar Sisters

* * *

10:28 AM

Delsin's Subconscious

Deep within his own realm, Delsin snapped his eyes open, gasping for air as he sat inside of a vehicle, a truck. He was parked in the middle of a street in Seattle, near the Pacific Science Center. With a raised eyebrow, he glanced around, watching pedestrians go about their day before hearing loudness of a car horn behind him. "Ow…!"

"Hey, you okay there?"

Delsin instantly recognized the voice that had spoken to him and slowly turned his head to the right, seeing Reggie sitting next to him with a small smile on his face. "You blanked out there, you alright, Delsin?"

"R-Reggie?"

"Yeah?"

"But…y-you're dead."

"Dead? Now why would I be dead? Wait, you didn't call an assassin on me, did you?" He chuckled softly; raising an eyebrow of his own as he stared at his little brother's confused face. "Are you okay? Seriously now."

"I- I don't even know right now. Where are we? What are we doing?"

"Well, we're going after a Conduit, so that you can drain her powers and then get to Augustine, to my dismay, unfortunately."

"Wait...her? Who's 'her'? Fetch?"

"No, you already got Abigail's powers, to my utter dismay as well, and Eugene's…once again to my-

"Okay, I get that. But...who is this other girl?"

"Her name's Bianca Castellanos."

"Bianca Castellanos? Sounds Italian."

"You mean Ukrainian?"

"Does it really matter?"

"A little yes-

"Reg. Continue on."

"She's been seen prowling around the Science Center. Now my best is that you-

Delsin shook his head immediately, turning toward him. "Come on man; let's just worry about that later. Let's just go out, have a drink and hit the town together."

"But, aren't we already hitting the town? I mean, you got the entire DUP on you."

"Don't worry about that. Just you and me. Reg. You have no idea how much I've missed you." He leaned across from his seat over to Reggie's, embracing him with a hug.

Reggie placed his hand on Delsin's back, patting it softly as he glanced down at his brother. "Oh Delsin…"

Delsin slowly widened his eyes, reeling his head back away from Reggie; the figure's voice had turned to a female's as his entire body had changed into a girl's. "…I've missed you too." A sinister smile had come across her face as she giggled.

"Who are you? What did you do to Reggie?"

"Hold on, one question at a time, love. First one, your brother already told you, Bianca Castellanos. As for the second, well, I was him the whole time, but I didn't want to cut short on just how adorable you looked when you saw…me. This also further pushes the cold hard fact that you belong with me and not with that druggie girl. She knows nothing of you, but I, I know everything about you, Delsin. And I know that we are destined to be together."

"Oh please, him? With you? I wouldn't dream of it…" A second voice appeared from the back of the truck as another female came into view, slouching her arms on the driver and passenger seats. "He obviously belongs with me."

"Ugh, you! You always screw me over at any chance I get with a Conduit."

"Well, it is my job to do so."

"Why don't you go pester somebody else, Lana?"

"But you're my favorite person to pester. It's hilarious when you get angry at such small things."

Delsin leaned back against the door, an eyebrow instantly raised as he listened to the two girls bicker to one another before cutting in himself. "Hold on! Just- I- Wha- Who are you two?!"

"Why we're the 'Tar Sisters'. We used to own the Neon District in a one Empire City, until that wretched Cole MacGrath entered the picture and brutally hurt our mother, causing her to be captured by the First Sons and used as their slave." Lana growled under her breath as she clenched a fist tightly.

"Yes, she never did let us meet this MacGrath character; I heard he was one of or 'the' greatest and most powerful Conduits in the universe. If only we could've had our fun with him."

"We could've driven him insane; he looked so much like Kessler. No wonder mother wanted him so badly."

"Hold on!"

"You keep telling us to hold on! Hold on to what exactly?"

"It's a figure of speech, woman! Now wait! Who's this mother of yours?"

"Sasha. The original user of Tar manipulation, she created an army of soldiers called 'The Reapers'. They took over the Neon district in Empire City, tormenting the weak. We were gonna rule all of Empire City, the Neon, the Warren and the Historic District, all would've been ours but that goddamn Cole just had to ruin everything, not succumb to our needs, our desires, our desperation for him. He resembled Kessler so much, mother loved him, just as much as we did, she promised us he was gonna be ours for the taking. But no. It never happened. After our mother was taken, we fled Empire City, sticking underground in the sewers, adapting our powers, evolving. Soon, we were able to create our very own minions using Tar, our own little Reapers, all under our command. We were gonna rise up and free our mother from the First Sons but once we were ready, she was already dead. We received an intense pain from it, weakened for days, weeks, months before finally healing from the mortal wound. Now we're back and ready to torment Seattle's famous and good-looking Conduit, Delsin Rowe. 'Smoketastic Man' as they say, right? It fits."

Delsin glanced from both Conduits, bringing a hand up to his face and wiping it slowly. "I need…I need air."

"Aw, what's the matter?" Bianca leaned close to him, Lana doing the same from the back. "Are we making you hot, Delsin? Too much for you to handle?"

Delsin ignored their comments, reaching behind him and fiddling for the door handle, he got a grip of the handle and pulled it down, feeling the door swing open and he fall back onto the street. He hit his head against the road, falling flat on his stomach. He rubbed the top of his head, more so, his cap as he lifted it up, seeing that the truck was gone from the scene, only the faint whispering of one of the sisters was audible.

"See you around…Delsin Rowe. In another lifetime." A soft chuckle came afterwards as it echoed away.

"What in the hell…?" Delsin groaned as he picked himself up off of the ground, glancing around himself before zeroing in on a small oak wood table with Reggie sitting on the opposite end.

"Hey, Delsin! You gonna finish your food or not?" Reggie called to him, turning his head toward Betty who sat beside him, a smile on her face as usual.

"Yes, come Delsin; finish up your food, dear."

Delsin slowly shook his head as he took a couple steps back. As much as it pained him, he knew it wasn't real; none of this was real and had to escape as soon as possible. "You're not real…y-you're not real."

Betty raised an eyebrow at him, getting up off of her chair and walking toward him. "What do you mean we're not real? We're as real as it gets…" Her voice slurred into a distorted echo, her eyes bringing off a soft glow of red, Reggie's as well as he got off his own chair and proceeded toward Delsin.

"We're here for you, bro." Reggie's voice soon slurred as well.

Delsin displayed a face of fear as the two figures began to stretch out, growing taller than him within seconds, their foreheads erupting curved horns on top and their eyes fully red as they showed their fanged teeth. "Join us Delsin Rowe…" Their booming voices startled the tiny Conduit as he rapidly shook his head, stumbling back on the ground with a small thud.

"No…no! NO!" He flicked one of his hands to activate his powers but nothing came, he was defenseless, even his chain was erased from existence as he watched two of his loved ones close in on him, bending themselves down in front of him. Each letting out their own unique cackle in front of his face as their faces melted soon afterwards, revealing their skeletons. Delsin could only raise his arms in front of his face as they brought their hands out, hovering over him, slowly beginning to consume him into darkness. "AHHHHH! NOOOO!"

Delsin's scream reverberated back into reality as his physical, real body sat up, his eyes widening as he continued to scream loudly. "AHHHHH!"

Fetch and Eugene shot their heads back as they watched him rise up. "Delsin!" Fetch exclaimed loudly as she wrapped her arms around to hold him down, Eugene doing the same as he kept screaming.

"NOOOO! NO! AH-HA!"

"Delsin, it's okay! Breathe! It's us!" Eugene tried his best to calm him down as Delsin soon began to realize where he was at that moment, lowering his voice as he turned his head down toward Fetch. He let out a heavy sigh of relief as he brought the two in for a tight group hug. They could only pat his arms as he hugged him. "You're okay, Delsin. You're okay."


	7. Rebirth

Rebirth

* * *

11:45 PM

Few Miles Outside of Seattle, WA

Deep in the depths of Pugent Sound, underwater miners scanned the sea for any signs of Ray Field Radiation, anything at all to help them understand the origin of Conduits and how to help them adapt and evolve.  
"Riley, you got anything on your end?"

"Uh…not sure, my radar's picking up something a little ways ahead of me. Looks like a small sign of Ray Field Radiation."

"Alright, let's take a look."

Riley kept his scanner in front of him as he swam ahead, his partner, Tanner, just behind him. They brushed past patches of seaweed, moving their arms to push them away as they kept their eyes glued on their separate scanners, hearing the high pitched beeping of the devices pulsate faster and faster. The beeping soon reached the maximum speed as they both stopped and lowered themselves deeper into the water, spotting what looked to be a metal casing of some sort.

"Tanner, you see this?"

"I sure do, my friend."

"I think we found ourselves another Conduit…"

"Let's pop the top open and find out."

They approached the casing, putting their scanners away before wrapping their fingers against the grooves in the top section. With small grunts, they used all of their strength and slid the top layer of the casing off, revealing a male figure inside, fully dressed and slowly floating out of the casket towards the two scientists. Riley took hold of the man, staring at the distinct tattoos running alongside each arm, noticing the signs of saints and angels on each one.

"Tanner…this is 'him'."

"You mean…Cole MacGrath?"

"Yes! This is him! The 'Patron Saint of New Marais'." Riley couldn't help but chuckle with excitement. "We found him. All this time, we thought he was lost forever, but we finally found him. Let's bring him up and see what we can find."

Tanner nodded under his mask as he helped Riley transport Cole's body up to the surface shore and onto the roadway pier of Seattle where they had their parked company van.

"Easy now. Don't drop him."

"Almost there. Got it. Whoo. Let's get this big lug back to base, shall we?"

"Yes, sir to that."

They both got in the van and started it up, driving their way back to their workplace, BioFrame Diagnostics where they help Conduits of all kinds and study them in various ways.

* * *

An Hour Later

BioFrame Diagnostics Building

Lantern District

12:03 AM

Seattle, WA

Riley and Tanner arrived at the building, heading into the parking garage before hopping out and opening up the back where they had laid Cole MacGrath down in. They lifted him up with ease as they entered inside an elevator and hit the top floor button, waiting patiently as the elevator carried them upwards. Once they reached the top floor, Cole was placed on a stretcher and taken by them to the main laboratory, where they both set him down on a steel cold table.

"Okay. Let's have a look at him."

Riley began by taking the Prime Conduit's shirt off, examining the abundant amount of wounds trailing across his torso. Cuts, bruises, gashes, all forms were there in full force as he inspected each one.

"You think these might be from when he activated the RFI?"

Tanner crossed his arms over his chest as he too inspected the numerous wounds, responded with a slight shake of the head. "Maybe. Not sure, could just be from his other missions beforehand. Now they are just surfacing because he's deceased."

Riley took that into thought as he punctured a wound with a scalpel, watching a stream of water flow out onto his chest. "Completely dried up…amazing. How wonderful would it be if he were still alive after all of this?"

"Riley. You and I both know that's impossible, he's been dead for seven years now. And unless we have a way of filling him up with some energy, I don't think- Wait…that could actually work. We drain the rest of him out and fill him in with some electricity, which might cure and revive him."

Riley smiled to himself, taking a glance at his partner. "It's a long shot, but hey, that's what we do here, right? Help and protect Conduits."

"Exactly. Let's put him in one of the testing chambers and put it to the test. Contact Fields while I take him there."

Riley nodded his head, taking his phone out of his back pocket and dialing up one of the company's top employees, Stephanie Fields.

"…Hello?" The voice on the opposite end sounded half-asleep as she waited

"Steph…we found 'him'."

Steph sat her in her bed, widening her eyes slightly. "You did?"

"Yes, we did. We found Cole MacGrath."

"I- Um- I'll be right there, I have to see him for myself." She chuckled.

"Alright, we're putting him in the testing chambers, I'll see you there."

"I'm on my way."

Riley ended the call and exited out of the morgue room towards the testing chambers. He entered inside the elevators which were located on the opposite side of the hallway and pushed the button to the floor just below. It dinged soon after and the doors opened. He exited out, glancing to his left to see through the looking glass, four medium sized tanks, each with slots and Conduits floating inside, some deceased, unconscious or willing to be tested on for the hope of understanding their power. Just to Riley's right was another testing chamber, only bigger and with only one slot. It was reserved only for the super Conduits and Cole was placed inside, suspended in the middle of the tube by wires and needles sticking into each bone in his body.

Riley stood next to Tanner, who was activating the draining procedure, extracting all blood from the rest of Cole's system, the needles could be heard drilling into Cole, each releasing a soft hissing sound before filling up with blackish-red blood. The procedure only took a couple of minutes as his body had already been drained partially from rotting in the metal casket for over seven years. Once it was finished, the needles exited his body and stood idly on each side of the tank till further command.

"Now…to recharge him, fill him up with condensed electricity and hope for the best." Tanner inhaled as he moved his finger to the other console and pressed the button for injection. Just a few moments after he pressed it, the entrance doors to the room opened, revealing Stephanie, who was fixing her bright red hair into a tight bun before standing next to Riley, her hands dropping down slowly as she spotted the tank ahead of her.

"My god…is that him?"

Riley grinned brightly as he nodded his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "It sure is. The 'Patron Saint' in the flesh."

Stephanie rounded the workstation, slowly approaching the tank and placing her hands on the glass as she stared down at the lifeless figure. His arms over one another as his body floated in the water filled tank, his tattoos and injuries visible to the eye. "This is…incredible…" She giggled silently, watching him float there, resembling an infant in her eyes.

Tanner lifted his head up, watching the tubes begin to fill up with the bright blue condensed electricity, reaching the needles which activated once again, whirling their way towards Cole's body again. Both Tanner and Riley rounded the workstation and huddled around the tank, watching the needles penetrate his skin once more and inject the electricity into his body.

The needles finished the injections and returned back to their idle positions as Cole's body released a slight twitch soon afterwards, surprising the trio of scientists all together.

They all watched as Cole twitched once again, his head snapping from left to right as his eyes stayed closed. Not long after, he let out a slight wince; sparks of electricity sprang on either side of the tank, multiplying by the second before all stringing together. The trio took their hands away from the glass panels of the tank, taking only a step back as they watched the electricity form together.

"Is he- Is he waking up?" Riley asked, not necessarily expecting an answer back as they all stared at the tanker.

Inside, Cole's eyes snapped open, radiating with an intense bright blue glow before his body began to wriggle in the water, his legs flailing as the electricity soared out of the tank, making contact with any electrical devices in the nearby vicinity.

Stephanie, Riley and Tanner all stumbled back from the sudden outburst of electricity and scurried back toward the workstation console.

Tanner was quick to try and shut off the power in the room but was unable to, due to the high amounts of electricity surging through the room.

"Tanner, shut it off!"

"I can't, Riley! It's too powerful!"

"Flip the switch for a manual shutdown, then!"

Tanner looked behind himself, spotting the red lever on the side of the wall, which was to be pulled on dire emergencies. He kept his head down as he made his way to the wall, reaching his hand up to grab a hold of the lever. Near the tank, a flash of electricity hit one of the many metal lamps surrounding Cole, ricocheting off of the surface and zapping Tanner's hand, causing him to flinch and fall back flat on the ground, pushing his way back to the others.

"It's no good! I can't reach it! Not with all the electricity flying around!"

Riley and Stephanie looked at him then at the tank as Cole's body soon stopped wriggling and the electricity grinding down to a halt.

"Is it over?"

"Yeah…I think so." Riley stood up, walking toward the tank and peering in at Cole. "It's stopped, but I'm not so sure about Cole here." He sighed softly as the others approached from behind him, each taking a glance at the once again lifeless figure. "I'm an idiot, water hurts him, and we brought him back only to kill him once again." He shook his head slowly before placing his hands on his waist and glancing from Stephanie to Tanner. "We think we should…you know?"

Tanner parted his lips, looking as if he was about to say something but nothing came out, resulting in only a slight shrug.

Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest as she nodded her head. "I think we should…it's for the better that way."

They all stared at one another before carefully putting their hands inside of the water, each grabbing a body part of Cole and pulling him up out of the water and onto the stretcher they had before. Tanner then contacted the local janitor via radio chatter and waited for him to show up.

"Could you…" He whispered the rest of the sentence in the janitor's ear, pulling away to see him nod. "Thank you."

"Why, no problem, Mr. Tanner. You have a good night now."

"Yeah, you too, Stan."

Tanner stood in front of the duo, staring at each one before sighing to himself. "Well…we tried at least…we were dumb enough not to realize our mistake, now we have to live with it, sadly."

Stephanie turned her head away in a different direction, closing her eyes slowly. Riley could only glance down at the ground, his eyes depicting sadness.

"Look, I'll take you both home. Come on, it's late. We did all that we could."

They both nodded their heads before turning around and walking with Tanner toward the elevator, making their way down to the parking lot to get into his car.

Stan, pushing the stretcher that Cole was on, took a left and entered inside of a moderately sized room, in the far back was an open fire pit. Cole was to be cremated and erased from the records of ever appearing at BioFrame Diagnostics.


	8. Blitzkrieg

My Enemy

* * *

11:25 AM

Seattle, WA

Soaring down from high above the skies of Seattle, Delsin had his eyes closed as the wind blasted against his face, almost taking off his beanie if it were not for it being tightly attached to his head. His body and joints were relaxed as he descended back down toward Earth. He skimmed past the Space Needle, feeling it loom over him. At that point he opened his eyes, a small smile appearing on his face as he triggered his Smoke thrusters, propelling him faster. With a small grunt, he lifted his body up against the wind, hoping the propulsion of the Smoke thrusters would allow for him to achieve semi-flight horizontally. He was able to glide over the gates of the Science Center before feeling gravity take hold and begin to push him down, luckily for him, towards a bright red air vent installed to the side of a moderately sized building. Cutting off the thrusters, he began freefalling towards the building, deliberately missing the top of the building so as to be level with the ground floor air vent. He counted to five in his head before shifting his weight to the right, phasing into a thick cloud of Smoke and become vacuumed into the vent, disappearing from the public eye who had caught sight of him perform the swift trick. A moment of silence passed by, the air vent placed on top had not yet been accompanied by anything until a blast of orange colored Smoke erupted out of the upper vent, spitting out a particle collage of Delsin, who was formed back to normal right after launch.

"Whoo-hoo!" He exclaimed, taking the precious amount of air time to perform a small spin before hitting his thrusters again and hovering over the building. He felt as though he earned a trophy, a trophy for executing the entire skydiving stunt, hitting an air vent, blasting into the air itself and making a victory gesture all without his feet touching anything at all. He knew this victory was to be a short one as the screeching sound of a runaway vehicle not too far away from his position rang in his ears. He snapped into action and twisted his body to the right, still using the thrusters for an added bonus of momentum and speed. "Alright, what do you got for me today, Seattle?"

Overhead, a Seattle Police Department helicopter blazed over Delsin, keeping low but not too low so as not to crash or hit anything. "We got ourselves three suspects riding off in a stolen modified BioFrame Diagnostics van, heavily armored with highly sensitive and explosive components."

Delsin scoffed lightly, cutting off his thrusters and hitting another vent with a dash, reaching and launching out of the top of the building in an instant. "Alright, let's get to work!" He dashed twice in the air before landing on a small balcony, grunting softly while stumbling forward. He quickly recovered, catching his balance just before jumping over the opposite railing and triggering another dash, hearing loud and clear the van drifting around a street corner as police vehicles were in close pursuit with their sirens blaring. "Well now, looks like we got ourselves a bogey."

Dashing in mid-air across a busy street, he grabbed a hold of a window sill at the end of the move and quickly pulled himself up, hopping to the side to grab a piece of the building structure and then to the top ledge. He scurried up and ran across the solar paneled equipped roof, taking a leap of faith off the very edge, front-flipping into another dash, finally having the van in his sights as he dropped down on the body of it. "Whoa!" He gripped his hands on one edge of the van as the driver made a sharp left turn. "Alright, time to put these guys out of commission…for good." With a small grunt, he slid over the side of the getaway vehicle, hanging on tightly while traversing towards the driver window. Reaching the window, he jumped to the door, giving the window three taps with his fist. "Uh, Mr. Criminal? Sir?" The driver of the van glanced to his left, seeing Delsin's face through the window and watching him perform a window lowering gesture with his hand. Understanding the message, the driver reached down and slowly lowered the window for the Smoked hero.

Delsin leaned partially inside, holding his hand out to the driver. "Hey! How's it going? Name's Delsin Rowe but you can call me 'Smoker', 'Smoketastic Man', just not late for dinner…get it?" He threw the driver a smile before the driver himself threw a quick jab at Delsin. Delsin, who happened to be paying attention, dodged the punch with a swift movement of Smoke, re-appearing on the top of the van with his legs dangling in front of the window. "So uh…if you're not a shaker…are you a hugger…or..." Delsin's question was cut short as the driver, having enough, lifted up his assault rifle and fired two rounds out the window.

"Ragh! I am a killer!"

"Whoa! Okay!" Delsin was quick to move, once again dodging with Smoke back on top of the van. "Maybe it's time for a little backup…" He reached behind and pulled his phone out of his back pocket, searching through his small list of contact names till he found Fetch's name and hit send. "Come on, Laser-Girl…pick up, pick up…pick up."

The phone trilled up to four times in a row before the automated female voice appeared on the end. "We're sorry; your call to "Fetch" was unable to transfer through. If you would like to leave a voice message, press 1." Delsin immediately pulled the phone away from his ear and tapped the 1 icon on the dial pad. Putting it back up to his ear, he heard a quick beep before beginning to speak his message.

"Uh hey Fetch! Del here! Listen, I'm gonna be just a _teeny _bit late for the decorating of the Longhouse. I know this was supposed to be a big thing for you but you know…Superhero deeds and stuff, anyway, call me when you get this and I'll be sure not to arrive in dust and bullet holes- 'Kay, bye!" He ended the message and slipped the phone back into his pocket before moving up on the truck, peering over the roof at the driver. With another grunt, he landed in front of the windshield, glaring straight at him. "Hi again! Now look here, I told you, I am running a bit late!" The driver smirked, turning on the windshield sprinklers and spraying Delsin in the face, which irritated him greatly.

"Heha! Ha!" The driver laughed loudly as Delsin blocked the spray with one arm and ripped the entire device off with the other.

"Goddamn! Really?!" He tossed the wipers away before curling a hand into a clenched fist, Smoke imbuing greatly from it as he took a punch to the windshield with a loud grunt. "Hah! Yah!" The glass cracked intensely, leaving the driver unable to see what was in front of him. With pretty much no other option, he slammed his foot on the brake, bringing the van and the onslaught of police cruisers to a massive halt. Police tumbled over one another in a giant collision, crashing into the tail ends of the cruiser in front of them, dealing massive damage to each one as the officers exited out of them, their pistols equipped tightly.

Inside the back of the van, the two other criminals kicked open the back doors and aimed their assault rifles towards the officers, holding their fingers on the triggers and not letting go, no matter what. The officers had no choice but to take cover from the raining parade of bullets, taking quick potshots from their end before cowering once again.

On the front end of the van, Delsin lost his balance from the sudden stop, falling backwards in front of the van, presumably getting run over by the driver, who assumed himself that he had killed him, which pleased him immensely. To his demise, Delsin rolled out from underneath the van and quickly dashed into the nearest air vent, gaining a new vantage point of the whole shootout, even a good view of the two trigger happy henchmen.

The police were on the brink of just dropping their weapons and surrendering, despite their orders when to their surprise the gunfire ceased. Gradually they peeked over their cruisers, seeing that not only had the two criminal's ceased fire; they were subdued in wisps of Smoke and placed right in the middle of the crash course. All officers aimed their pistols, stepping closer to them. "You're under arrest!"

Back at the van, the driver, watching the scene from his seat, growled softly before starting it up and pressing his foot down on the gas, veering away with Delsin right on his tail.

"Oh boy, I am _so _done with you, buddy! Come on!" He pushed himself, dashing to the back of the van and gripping the top groove, flipping himself up to the top and leaped back toward the windshield, except this time he slid down to the engine and engulfed his fist in another wave of Smoke. With another grunt, he slammed his palm against the engine cover, a puff of Smoke exploded upon impact as he attacked the engine repeatedly, and both he and the driver feeling the van begin to slow down. "It's over, pal!" The driver, out of ammunition for his assault rifle, pulled his pistol out and curved his arm out of the window, aiming down towards Delsin, whose focus was on the engine to notice, and pulled the trigger four times in a rapid succession. The bullets pierced Delsin's body, causing sparks of Smoke to spurt out as his actions were stopped and he leaned back from the impacts. "Ugh!" Delsin gripped his torso, raising his free hand while leaning against the hood of the van so as not to fall and was about to fire a shotgun blast of Smoke the driver's way when he saw his expression. His face was filled with surprise as his eyes were stuck on the road. Delsin looked back to see what it was that the driver was so afraid of, and sure enough, in a matter of seconds, they were about to collide with a DUP APC crossing the intersection. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" He knew in the back of his mind that despite their own personal rivalry with one another, he would have to save them, even in combat would he never actually 'kill' a DUP trooper.

Almost as though time had crawled down to a slow walk, Delsin launched off of the hood of the van, soaring over the APC as the side was beginning to dent inward from the soon to be fatal collision. He wrapped his chain around his fist before pumping his arm up high into the sky, feeling gravity raise higher and drop him back down faster. Just before impact, he slammed his fist on the opposite side of the APC, catching part of it and watched the end result play out. The APC flipped over him, spinning out of control while Delsin quickly got up to his feet to dodge the still moving van and aim his hand at the Neon sign that he spotted through the corner of his eyes. The drain was quick enough and he then, with no time to aim, threw a spherical orb of Neon in the general vicinity of the airborne APC. Instantly right after the first stasis bomb was deployed, he threw another then shifted himself into Neon, sprinting at fast speeds toward the APC while time reached its normal peak again once he triggered a Photon jump. The APC spiraled toward the ground, about to come head to head with death when the two Neon stasis grenades Delsin threw exploded, catching the APC in the air, which was only a second away from exploding into great flames. Delsin straighten his leg out as he crashed into the APC, kicking it towards the ground while the stasis was still in effect. The tires all landed safely on the ground as the effect withered away, rendering time completely back to normal. Delsin let out a sigh of relief before widening his eyes, not only was the thief exiting out of the van, which he crashed only a few seconds later into a building, to escape on foot, but the DUP agents who he just saved exited out of their own vehicle and aimed their rifles at him. "Oh come on! Seriously? I just saved your guy's asses and this is how you repay me? How rude!"

The agents pulled the triggers, firing relentlessly as Delsin dashed away out of sight with Neon, figuring out where the escapee was heading. "Okay…I can take this tunnel and I'll catch him by the Crocodile. Ah, memories." With a huff, he dashed around the corner of an alleyway, weaving back and forth around the underpass pillars before running directly up the side of a building wall, curving over the top and sliding to the end railing. He scanned the intersection, seeing to his left the group of DUP agents searching for him, aiming their guns left and right, inspecting cars and pulling civilians out of them forcefully. "Jesus…" Up ahead, his eyes caught a glimpse of the escapee, slipping through a cracked open door leading inside the Crocodile. "Gotcha…!" He immediately closed his mouth as he yelled just a little too loud, praying to the Lord that the DUPs didn't hear him. To his misfortune, the agents turned their sights back and upwards, spotting him almost instantly. The leader of the pack waved his arm forward, stepping to the side as a Pawn from the back approached the front, wielding a heavy duty rocket launcher, the sights aimed directly at Delsin. Delsin let go of the railing, widening his eyes as he gulped rather loudly. "Oh…this is gonna hurt…" He brought his arms up to his face as the Pawn released the rocket from its captor, watching it rise up to the building. The blast knocked Delsin off his feet and onto his back as the railing flew off the hinges and scattered into the air in pieces. The crater from the impact caved in, taking Delsin along for the ride. "No! No! No!" He desperately tried to grab hold of a sturdy object but found none within his reach and slipped off of the rooftop, falling down onto the solid concrete with a thud. "Oooh! Oh! Help! I've fallen and I can't…get up!" He joked, groaning and muttering to himself. The event wasn't over just yet, the leader waved his arm toward the building again, indicating that he wanted it demolished and crushed over Delsin. The rocket wielding agent nodded his head, reloading with another rocket before holding it steady on his shoulder, in a few seconds another rocket was sent out, colliding into the building with a bright blast. The fallout was massive; rubble overflowed the alleyway with Delsin underneath it all.

With a small grunt, the pack of DUP agents entered back into their APCs and reversed onto the street, screeching their tires before driving away from the scene. Minutes passed before Delsin found his strength and shoved the debris off of him, standing up with a loud groan. "Ow! Ho-ho! This is gonna hurt later tonight! Oh! Alright, okay! Now…where'd that criminal run off to? Oh right, the Crocodile." He made haste, Neon dashing over the railing and across the street, sliding to a stop just before the entrance doors leading inside. "Hide and seek…" He squeezed through the cracked door and took in the environment; only a few spotlights were on to illuminate the club. "Uh…hello? Anybody home? Anybody who just stole a van full of highly explosive chemicals from BioFrame? No? Anybody?" He threw his arms up, hitting his jeans with a small sigh. "Oh well, never mind then."

Having being fed up with his jokes, the driver of the van exited out of cover, wielding his assault rifle and pulling the trigger. "Ragh!" His voice echoed throughout the club as Delsin weaved left and right in trails of Neon, inching closer to the criminal.

"Now…that's…more….like…it!" Delsin grunted out as he triggered a Photon jump, reaching to new heights as he got the drop on the driver, whose bullets whizzed past him as he performed a side flip through the air, landing in front of him. In a quick succession of Neon speed, Delsin dis-armed the driver, quickly fired a bolt into his foot, causing him to yelp in pain before wrapping his body up Neon strands. "Ah…perfect!"

The driver hopped on both feet, trying to stay up as he chuckled at Delsin. "Heh…this isn't over, Smoker!"

Delsin ignored his words, shaking his head with disgust as he turned around and began to walk away. In his head he began to count down from five, upon reaching one, the criminal lost his balance and flopped onto the floor with loud thud, bringing the crime to a halt.

"Alright! Now, to get to the Reservation…somewhat on time." He stepped onto the street, checking his phone for the GPS, mapping out the best way to get to the broken bridge fastest. Unbeknownst to him, a police cruiser speeded down the street he was on, blaring sirens just a few seconds before coming in contact to Delsin, who shot his head back and yelped before being hit. His body healed itself right after as he hung onto the front bumper of the cruiser, feeling the wind blast against him. To his surprise, his phone began to ring, looking down and seeing that it was Fetch who was calling. He hit the send button and pressed the phone up to his ear. "Uh hey, Fetch! I know I'm late! I got…stuck in some traffic!"

Fetch stood outside of the Longhouse, her eyes gazing up as some of the residents from the Reservation were up on ladders with buckets of paint, decorating it delicately. "I swear to God D, your timing is terrible! We're already starting!"

"I-I know, I'm sorry."

"Where are you?" She turned her head toward the road leading up to the Longhouse, checking to see if he was there or not.

"…Seattle Center, Mercer Street, 120 access. Uh, about five minutes, ten tops."

Fetch looked ahead of herself, her eyes widened slightly. "Are those sirens?"

Delsin pursed his lips together, shifting his eyes in different directions before staring at the phone. "…No."

"Delsin."

"No!"

"Delsin!"

"No, no sirens! I swear to you…" His voice trailed off as his eyes locked on to the cruiser just beside him, staring back at him from the passenger seat appeared Reggie.

"What? What is going on? Delsin."

The two stared at each other till Delsin's eyes snapped back into reality, revealing it only to be another member of the force. He faced forward again.

"Delsin!" Fetch whispered harshly, rolling her eyes.

"…I'll be right there. I promise."

She was about to speak his name again when the called dropped. Betty opened the front door of the Longhouse, leaning out and looking at Fetch. "Fetch, dear, you mind trying this outfit I made for you?"

She raised her head up, putting her phone into her jacket pocket. "For me?" She brought on a smile as she approached Betty, stepping inside while Betty closed the door behind her.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

12:05 PM

Salmon Bay, WA

Delsin finally arrived at the Reservation, jogging toward the Longhouse and rounding the corner, placing his hand on one of the residents. "Hey Nick, you seen Fetch?"

Nick pointed his thumb back, cocking his head to the side as well. "She's inside with Betty. I'd be careful though, she didn't seem very happy after getting off the phone with you." He grinned as Delsin patted his back, thanking him before entering inside.

The Longhouse was jam packed with Akomish members, decorating the interior with banners, ribbons, lights that flashed in colors and other accessories. Delsin spotted Fetch and Betty in the far back and proceeded toward them. "Hey guys!" He gave them a bright smile before twiddling his fingers together.

Both Betty and Fetch glanced over at him, each with a smile of their own. "Hi!"

"So…busy day huh?"

Fetch looked over at Betty, who placed her hands on both of her shoulders. "I need to go and check on the big dinner, find me at the Cannery if you need anything." She patted them before walking away, a soft giggle escaping her.

Delsin stared at her exiting the Longhouse then turned back to Fetch who took a hold of his hand, pulling him away from the crowd. "So…um, did your little traffic jam have anything to do with the Akurans?" She held up her phone, revealing a news article with the headline: '**RUSSIAN MOB: SMOKED**'.

Delsin glanced up; taking a look around to make sure nobody had seen the news. He put his free hand on the phone and lowered it down.

"Are you serious? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"What? And have you miss out on helping the Tribe? No way. I couldn't do that to you." He shook his head rapidly.

Fetch sighed, putting her phone away. "Alright…just, tell me next time okay?" She raised a hand up and began rubbing her shoulder, staring up at him. "You went silent during that last call…what happened?"

"N-Nothing. Nothing hap-

"Delsin. Stop bullshitting me. Was it Reggie again?"

He parted his lips, gazing off in a random direction before lowering his voice. "Yes…it was Reggie. I saw him again. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It'll pass by soon enough. I had the exact same experience…with Brent."

"Oh no, please. Come on; don't bring this up, not now. It's the big day, be happy." He grabbed a hold of one of her hands and held it up. "Be happy. He would be proud of you for doing this. Settling in too."

Fetch revealed a smile, blinking up at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now what do you say we have ourselves an awesome 'Akomish Days Festival'?"

"I'm down for that, Mr. Rowe." She smirked, lightly pounding her fist against his chest as her mind conjured up a memory. "Oh! That reminds me, you good sir need to get out of that vest and jacket and take off that cap of yours."

Delsin scoffed, putting his hands on his waist as he leaned to one side. "Uh…exsqueeze me?"

"Yeah. Come on, please? I want to see what you got underneath there. Please, just this once and I promise I won't ask again. Just for the night." Fetch produced a pair of puppy eyes, cupping her hands together. Delsin couldn't stand to see her descend so low just to see something so small and pointless but figured it wouldn't hurt. With a sharp exhale, he reached his hand up to the cap and slowly lifted it off of his head, seeing strands of hair get into his eyes. He pushed them back with a swift motion and bit his lips, shifting his eyes to the left. "There ya go. My hair in all of its glory."

Fetch leaned forward on her tiptoes, taking a strand in between her fingers and twirled it. "Good, it's real."

Delsin took offense to that, chuckling before staring at her. "What? Did you think I was bald underneath?"

"…Yes."

"Oh…well, I'm not."

She giggled shortly, patting his shoulders with the tips of her fingers. "I know, you look great with or without the cap on."

"Oh, why thank you, Miss Walker, I appreciate your comment, but that is the only time I shall ever take my cap off."

She pouted her lip, glancing to the side before fixing herself and looking back at Delsin, who fastened the cap back on top of his head. "So, what of this outfit of yours? I heard you two talking beforehand."

"Oh, right, well the outfit Betty had gotten me didn't fit so later on after the festival, we're gonna resize it."

Delsin nodded his head. "Alright."

"Yeah…"

The two Conduits stared at one another, each throwing the other a smile or two before Betty arrived at the front door. "Delsin! I could use you and your superpowers to help me get this banner on top of the Cannery." He turned around, giving Betty a thumbs up and a bright smile before turning back to Fetch.

"Okay, that's my cue. I'll be back for you, just hold out, maybe find 'Game Boy' while you're at it."

She scoffed, flicking a lock of her hair out of her eye. "Sure. You uh, don't get hurt out there, alright?"

"You got it." He nodded, reaching his hand to the back of her head and pulling her close, placing a small kiss on her forehead. He snickered, letting go and walking off to meet Betty at the door, leaving Fetch dumbstruck in the back of the Longhouse.

* * *

4 Hours Later

BioFrame Diagnostics

4:15 PM

Seattle, WA

Inside the crematorium at the bottom level of the BioFrame building, Cole's body resumed to lie on the stretcher as the crematory itself blazed high in the furnace. Deep inside his head, voices cropped up, unfamiliar voices of both male and female. Soon, another male entered the picture, having a message whispered to him.

**"Could you…send him to the crematory please? We failed." **

**"Yes, of course."**

**"Thank you."**

**"Anytime, Tanner."**

Cole's body awoken, flinging him off of the stretcher and onto the floor as various items began to electrify and activate their functions. His eyes radiated bright blue as he struggled to get a grip on himself and up off of the ground. He slammed his back against a wall, moving his head rapidly from left to right as the machinery in the crematorium levitated around him, from cutting tools to heart monitors, all strung together by electricity arcs. The arcs dispersed, dropping all the tools down with loud clangs and thuds, which startled the Conduit. "Ugh…" He groaned as he picked himself up, walking toward a locker and scavenging a pair of clothes to wear. Once he was dressed, he shambled his way toward the exit, leaving the BioFrame building.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

8:26 PM

Salmon Bay, WA

The festival was ready to launch, the residents of Salmon Bay, Betty, Delsin, Fetch and Eugene sat around a massive campfire, all eating the food that was served from inside the Longhouse. Laughs cropped up from jokes being told across each member and the trio of Conduits looked at one another, each with a smile on their faces. Eugene took a bite out of his food and turned to Delsin. "You never told us about this."

Delsin shrugged his shoulders, chuckling. "Figured I'd keep it a secret, we have these every year, each just a little bit extra fun than the one previous."

"And what about the added addition of us?" Fetch chimed in, leaning forward with a grin.

"You guys just made it about 25% more enjoyable than the last. Thank you." They all cropped together and gave high fives as they laughed uncontrollably, Delsin almost dropping his food from the intense laughter. "Oh!"

The event caused Fetch to fall on her backside from laughing too hard, lifting herself up with a small hiccup. "You almost ate it!"

"I did! I almost did! Holy shit." Delsin saw Eugene release partial snickers before bursting out with his own laughter, causing him to lightly push him on the shoulder. "Jesus…heha!"

Betty soon lifted her hands up, quieting down the audience. "Everyone, I'm glad you are all having a good time at this year's 'Akomish Days' festival, but it is now time for the annual song. As we all know, one of us sings their very own song in a grand way to end this magnificent feast. But this year, I figured that Delsin should go." She happened to catch Delsin by surprise.

"W-wait, me? I-I don't even-

"You saved Seattle, Delsin. You saved us. And you saved Abigail and Eugene. It's only right that you send us off."

Nick, sitting next to Delsin, nodded his head, patting his shoulder. "Yeah, you saved us all. You deserve this, come on." Soon the entire circle of residents began to agree, leading to a small chant, which led to Delsin quieting them down.

"Alright, but we're all gonna be in this together. As a family." He turned his head toward Fetch and Eugene, who smiled back at him. "I'll start it off. Nick, you still got that guitar of yours?" Nick nodded his head rapidly, standing up from his spot on the ground to rush into the Longhouse, coming out with his acoustic guitar in hand a couple of seconds after. He handed it to Delsin, who cradled it in his lap and plucked the strings softly, hearing the notes play on tune. "Okay. Here we go. This is…this is for Reggie." He exhaled sharply, starting off with a slew of notes, his fingers slipping to each string with ease. When he was ready, he lifted his head up, staring down at the campfire. _**"When life leaves you high and dry, I'll be at your door tonight if you need help, if you need help. I'll shut down the city lights, oh I'll cheat, and I'll beg and bribe to make you well, to make you well. When enemies are at your door, I'll carry you away from more if you need help, if you need help. Your hope dangling by a string, I'll share in your suffering to make you well, to make you well." **_Delsin moved his hand up, forming a fist as he knocked against the wood of the instrument. _**"Give me reasons to believe…that you would do the same for me." **He gave a final knock before silence took over. **"…And I will do it for you! For you! Baby, I'm not moving on, I'll love you long after you're gone. For you! For you! You will never sleep alone; I'll love you long after you're gone. And long after you're gone, gone, gone." **_Delsin returned to the first verse, plucking his fingers softly while noticing to his left, Nick pounding his fist against his thigh, providing a small beat on his end. They both smiled at each other before looking up at the evening sky. _**"When you fall like a statue, I'm gonna be there to catch you, put you on your feet, you on your feet. And if your well is empty, not a thing will prevent me, tell me what you need, what do you need? I surrender honestly; you've always done the same for me…so I will do it- For you! For you! Baby, I'm not moving on, I'll love you long after you're gone. For you! For you! You will never sleep alone; I'll love you long after you're gone. And long after you're gone, gone, gone." **_Delsin slid his fingers down the guitar, raising the notes by an octave. _**"You're my backbone, you're my cornerstone, and you're my crutch when my legs stop moving. You're my headstart, you're my rugged heart, and you're the pulse that I've always needed. Like a drum, baby don't stop beating…" **_Delsin picked himself up, tapping his fists against the wood again as he circled the crowd, hearing extra voices include into the mix, including Fetch and Eugene. Instantly, everybody chimed in, clapping their hands or tapping their legs, bringing a grin upon Delsin's face. **_"Like a drum baby, don't stop beating, like a drum baby, don't stop beating, like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you! For you! Baby, I'm not moving on, I'll love you long after you're gone. For you! For you! You will never sleep alone; I'll love you long after you're gone! For you! For you! Baby, I'm not moving on! I'll love you long after you're gone! For you! For you! You will never sleep alone! I'll love you long…long after you're gone- Like a drum baby, don't stop beating. Like a drum baby, don't stop beating. Like a drum baby, don't stop beating. Like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you…"_ **The unison of beats ceased as Delsin turned himself towards the Cannery, staring ahead at the spray painted mural of his brother. _**"…And long after you're gone, gone, gone. I'll love you long after you're gone, gone…gone." **_He slowly strummed the final note, a bright smile appearing on his face as a tear trailed down his face. "I love you, Reg."

He wiped his face, lowering the guitar and approaching Nick, handing it back to him and soon receiving a massive applause from the party. Eugene and Fetch whistled, whooping above the claps. "Go Delsin! Whoo!" Betty beckoned for him to come to her and knelt down in front of her, his hands cupped together.

"Delsin, that was beautiful. A beautiful, beautiful way to end off this year's festival. Reggie would've loved that more than anything."

Delsin revealed half a smile as he leaned towards Betty, wrapping his arms around her in a big hug. "Thank you Betty…" He said, muffled.

Betty softly patted his back before looking ahead at him. "Now, I want you to do something for me."

"Alright, what?" He still maintained the smile on his face as she whispered a request into his ear, leaving him with slightly widened eyes. "I-

"Ah ah! Come on now, you deserve it. Go on, we'll tidy up here." She cocked her head towards Fetch, giving him a quick wink of the eye before pushing herself to get off the ground, him beside to help. He began to grow his smile as he stepped away, turning towards Fetch and Eugene who clapped their hands vigorously.

"That was incredible, Delsin!" Eugene tapped his shoulder, chuckling softly. "What song was that?"

"'Gone, Gone, Gone' by Phillip Phillips. A rare piece that Reg and I would sing along to whenever we felt depressed or lonely. It was, such as the song stated, our 'backbone'." He nodded his head, glancing from the two before intertwining his fingers together.

Eugene turned his head to the group of cleaners and felt that he could help speed up the process with his Angel wingmen. "Hey, I'm gonna go help out with the chairs and decorations. Catch you guys later on?"

Fetch and Delsin both nodded at him, each throwing him a thumbs up. "Will do." He waved bye before jogging toward the group as Delsin moved his way towards the edge of the Longhouse, where the rope marked the end. Fetch followed beside, twisting the bottom of one of her boots into the rocky ground. "Hey, Del, that really was amazing back there. Seriously. It was fantastic."

He nodded his head, staring off at the sparkling night and the bright, reflective water. "Thank you." He twisted his head to her, a grin appearing. "Fetch…"

She leaned her body against one of the wooden stoppers, crossing her legs over another as she guided her attention to him. "Yeah?"

Delsin hadn't found the words yet and blinked his eyes at her, twitching his head in either direction before sighing softly. "I…you know- I don't-

"-Hey." She reached her hand over and touched his cheek, forcing him to look back at her. "It's okay…I know."

He squinted his eyes for a second, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Wait wh-

"I uh heard what Betty told you and…to be absolutely honest, I love you, Delsin. I just couldn't find my own way of telling you either, that's actually what we were um talking about in the Longhouse before you showed up." She bit the side of her lip, pressing the tips of her index fingers together.

"Oh, Fetch, god, I'm sorry-

"Don't. Apologize. We both suck at this, let's just admit it." She giggled, resting the side of her face against the palm of her hand. Delsin arched his arm up, grabbing a hold of her hand that still touched his cheek and shifted his eyes over as strands of Neon wavered between each other's arms.

"You're right; we suck super hard at this." They both chuckled together, pressing their foreheads together as Fetch exhaled softly. Delsin lifted his head up, leaning himself against the nearby tree.

"Del…" Fetch tilted her head slightly.

"Hm?"

"Do you…?"

Delsin slowly moved his head in front of a pair of leaves, half obscuring his face before curling his lip. He glanced back at her, slightly shrugging his shoulders. "Every day, ever since I met you and we did that drug bust together." His eyes watched Fetch smile, leading to himself smiling while pushing the branches out of his face. "I always loved you."

* * *

Bellevue

11:40 PM

Seattle, WA

Having made his way toward the Bellevue district located on the second island, Cole clutched an arm under his chest as he continued walking. Through his view, streams of electricity flowed under the streets, rotating upwards into lamp posts or street lights. Those didn't concern him much, what did concern him was the massive flow of energy circulating in the middle of the district, where TVs displayed random generated commercials and Neon signs lit up the night. He picked up the pace, shambling faster toward the ensemble of power. The lights flared in his eyes as he arrived in the center of the district, glancing upwards at the wide TV displays in wonder before piloting himself toward the main power supply. The streets and sidewalks were packed as usual down in Bellevue, civilians with their phones out texting and chatting while the Channel 6 News crew was out broadcasting a story. Cole sank into a crowd, kneeling down on top of the grate that protected the cables fueling the district. With a small grunt, he lifted up the grate, which created a loud clang that startled the nearby bystanders, though the rest didn't mind much, merely not paying attention in the first place. Without hesitation, Cole dug his hands in and gripped the thick cable underneath the ground, generating sparks. The act alone affected the TV screens, transforming the display to come out distorted, which concerned most civilians who glanced up at the sudden change. Soon enough, the lights flickered on and off throughout the whole district, creating short, loud booms every few seconds to a minute. The screams of a woman filled the streets, followed upon by more numerous screaming and yelping from the static blackouts.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

11:43 PM

Salmon Bay, WA

Delsin stared ahead at Fetch, one of his hands touching her cheek as his fingers traced across her skin, leaving behind thin trails of fading Neon. He leaned forward, chuckling softly alongside with her as their lips brushed against one another. Their moment was cut to a halt as Delsin stopped himself and slowly turned his head toward the vast layer of water.

"What?" Fetch shifted her eyes towards the general direction and soon caught sight of what exactly he was focusing on. Far off in the distance, a quick flicker of light flashed on and off, then again and again, repeating non-stop.

Delsin widened his eyes as he raised a finger toward the occurring event. "That's coming from Seattle…" He lowered his hand, breathing deeply before turning toward Fetch who shook her head.

"We gotta go see what's going on, let's go. Go grab Eugene. I'll start the truck up!" She sped off in a blaze of Neon toward the parking lot of the Longhouse as Delsin hopped over the stairway and burst into the Longhouse, spotting Eugene just to the side and grabbed his arm.

"Eugene, hey man, we gotta go. Something's up in Seattle."

Eugene twisted his head at him, his face filled with worriment. "W-what's going on?"

"We don't know, we're gonna go check it out, come on. Fetch is in the truck, go."

He patted Eugene's back as they slipped out of the Longhouse and hopped into the truck, Fetch in the driver's seat. "Hold on." She threw the gear into Reverse and backed the truck up, whipping it around and shifting in Drive and slamming on the gas pedal. They revved down the only street leading into Seattle, their headlights blaring as Fetch relaxed in her seat, occasionally trying to get a glance at Seattle through the thickness of trees. "What do you thinks' going on?"

Delsin stared out through the window for a second or two before leaning back in his seat. "I don't know, another Conduit, maybe?"

Fetch took a right, reorienting the wheel as she gave the pedal some slack. "Thought you said none of them wanted to come here."

He brought his shoulders up, making a twirling gesture with his hands. "I was kind of joking when I said that, but maybe there is one here now. Just hope, nobody's been hurt." He felt a force hit him and send him leaning forward; Fetch had stomped on the brake and flipped the truck off. Delsin and Eugene followed shortly after, exiting out with her as they all sprinted toward the broken bridge leading into Seattle.

* * *

Bellevue District

11:49 PM

Seattle, WA

A police officer was present at the sudden disturbance, reaching his hand up to the radio on his shoulder as he approached the half-obscured flying sparks. "Yeah, I'm gonna need some back-up here at Bellevue, seems we have a problem with the monitors, something freaky just popped up, stand-by." He clicked off the radio, resting one hand on the holster of his gun as he urged for the crowd of bystanders to step aside. "Excuse me, out of the way, please. Move! Move out of the way!" The crowd was quick to disperse as Cole was easily noticeable and out in the open now. "Sir! Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to step away from those cables! Sir!" The voices echoed from all directions as Cole slowly lifted his head up, revealing his bright blue eyes and assortment of veins all over his face. Startled, the officer drew his gun out, aiming at Cole, who let go of the cables, and arched himself up, becoming just as spooked as the officer himself. Quickly, Cole stepped up onto his feet, throwing his hands up and backing away from the officer. He stepped out onto the street in front of a moving delivery van, whose horn honked vibrantly through Cole's ears. Cole, with a grunt, threw his hands forward, generating thick arcs of electricity as the van was levitated into the air. He turned himself around, lowering the truck over him before discharging the arcs and quickly turning his head toward the officer. His ears were overwhelmed by the sounds of police sirens as cruisers skidded to a stop around Cole, blocking him off in a circle as he tried to run for an exit. "S-stop!" Cole spun around multiple times, coming to terms that he was in fact blocked off by the cruisers. "It's not my fault! I only tried to save-

One of the officers rose up a megaphone with one hand and aimed his pistol at Cole with the other. "Get your ass down on the ground, now!" Reinforcements exited out of their cruisers, hiding behind the open doors with their arms raised and pistols aimed.

"I said down on the ground now! Or we will open fire-

"Whoa hey, hey! Stop!" Appearing out of the blue and lowering the leading officer's megaphone, Delsin stepped in front of him while holding his arm out toward Cole. "Hey, yo sparkles!" He grabbed Cole's attention, which shot his head in his direction and took a step back, startled. "Hey! Hey! It's gonna be okay! Alright? We're all in this together. No one needs to get hurt, alright?"

Cole retraced his step, taking an extra one forward. "You…you don't remember me?"

Delsin peered behind at the lead officer before slowly turning back to Cole, using his quick thinking to escape out of the spotlight. "Of course I remember you." He smiled at Cole, straightening himself out and taking a couple of steps forward. "Yeah, you're my eyes and ears! Um, what's your- What's your name again?" Delsin gradually raised an eyebrow before raising his hands up to his ears. "Oh dude- I know it! I know it! Don't tell me."

Cole brought his hand up to his chest, inching forward. "I-It's Cole."

"Is it Cole?" Delsin pointed his finger at him, forming a small smile.

"Y-Yes." Cole stared at him, feeling a slight tinge of irritation. "How could you forget me? I-I saved Empire City and New Marais…stopped the Beast from killing you all."

Delsin snapped his fingers, widening his eyes along with his smile. "Yeah, the guy- the guy with the Electricity and stuff."

"Yes, 'stuff'." Cole remarked with a stale expression.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't recognize you with all the…" Delsin gestured a circular motion around his face before chuckling softly. "How are you?"

"I don't- I don't know what's happening to me. Like, how am I still alive right now?"

"I'm not sure, but I believe you. And I can see you don't want to be here right now, I can see you don't want anything bad to happen, I can see you don't want to hurt anybody."

Unbeknownst to the two, Fetch and Eugene arrived on opposite TV display structures, each providing a clear view of the commotion going on below. "Eugene." Fetch had her phone raised to her mouth, eyeing his position. "If he makes a move, I'm going for it."

"A-Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just be ready in case it backfires."

"Not much confidence there, Fetch. But alright." He clicked his phone off and secured it to one of the straps on his backpack.

Down on street level, Cole pointed his arm back and around. "I don't want them shooting at me anymore…"

Delsin nodded his head, turning himself around and gazing at the police officers, his finger aimed in Cole's direction. "They're not gonna shoot you. You guys hear that? This is my buddy, Cole, now I've told you about Cole. No one shoots at Cole!"

Fetch narrowed her eyes, straightening up slightly. "…Cole?" A thought lingered inside of her mind, leading to an answer that seemed rather out in the open. "No way…" She rejected the thought inside her head and returned to the task at hand.

Delsin turned back to Cole, gesturing his arm back and forth. "You and me, okay? It's just you and me. We'll get you out of here and talk- Whoa, whoa! Watch it there!" Cole was about to take a step forward but was stopped by Delsin as his foot would've landed on the grate of the electrical cables. Delsin chuckled nervously, retaining the smile he had made to Cole earlier.

"I just…" Cole gazed up at the TV screens, seeing that his own face was upon them. "I just wanted to save everybody." He muttered softly, keeping his gaze up for a while before looking back down and ahead at Delsin.

"How about you come with me? We'll go someplace and we'll talk, away from all these people, okay?"

Cole nodded his head at him, slowly taking a step back. "Yeah, yeah, that sounds- Gah!" His foot stepped into a thick puddle of water, tensing his body up and causing him to inflict pain upon himself. Fetch, standing up straight pressed her hands together, generating a thick cloud of Neon gas. When ready, she lurched forward, throwing her hands out, emitting a powerful laser of Neon at Cole, which impacted on his shoulder.

Delsin recognized the attack and immediately threw his arm up at the TV display. "No, Fetch, don't!" Cole winced and growled under his breath, rubbing his hands together and aimed at the display structure, firing off a blast of electricity. The shot tore through the metal, coming close to Fetch, who phased into Neon and dashed to the ground, keeping her head down.

Delsin reacted quickly, dashing towards Cole in a cloud of Smoke, reappearing in front of him and taking a hold of his arm. "Hey!" As fast as he had appeared, he was zapped off as Cole's arms still radiated with electricity and smashed into the side of a police cruiser, groaning loudly as the arm that touched him twitched wildly from the sensation. His eyes quickly narrowed, raising an eyebrow as he arms were still equipped with Smoke. "Huh? I didn't take his...powers?" He had no time to think for below the half-destroyed TV display structure, a police officer stood below it, hearing the nuts and bolts of the structure give way and tilt over him, nearing its way to crushing him to death.

Delsin proved to be faster than the crushing display of destruction as he dashed twice to reach the officer and grabbed hold of the back of his uniform, dashing out of the way of the falling debris and letting him go with a huff. The civilians still standing by behind police barricades hollered with cheer, pumping their fists up, going into a rhythmic chant. "Del-sin! Del-sin! Del-sin!" The chants lowered as the crowd began to insult Cole, who, glancing up at the remaining TV displays, watched as the cameras switched from showing his face on screen to Delsin's. The screens switched over one at a time, each creating a loud booming noise as they clicked over.

"You suck, Cole!"

"Screw off, you electric freak!" The insults resonated with Cole who peered around himself, watching in disgust as the screens changed over and over.

"Shut up!" He felt his body fuel up with rage as he stared at the largest display of them all, growling to himself. "You're so selfish…you punk."

Delsin, after saving the officer, dashed back a few feet ahead of Cole, who looked ahead at him, his teeth showing as he sneered. "Stay with me, Cole!" He held his arms out in front of him.

"You…you set me up!" Cole stepped forward, his voice descending into a deep tone.

"No! I didn't set you up! I swear!" Delsin shook his head rapidly, bending his knees slightly.

Cole clenched his fists, standing defiantly in front of Delsin, his eyes glowing brighter than before. "YOU LIED TO ME!" His voice, along with his anger, affected the TV screens, causing the view to becoming pixilated, spelling out the words he had just spat.

"No! I'm trying to help you, let me help you!" Delsin displayed a face of desperation as he threw his arms out again, trying his best to keep Cole under control.

Cole, having enough, arched his back forward, cupping his hands together, generating a sphere of electrical currents. "ARGH!" He cupped the orb in his hand as he slammed it down, hearing the orb crack under pressure and release a tremendous vortex of electrical destruction, spiraling its way towards Delsin at a rapid speed. Delsin stared at the vortex in awe before making a run towards the police cruiser he had crashed into earlier. Behind him, the officers and their own cruisers were dragged in by intense force of the vortex, colliding into one another and rendering them dead on impact. Delsin slid across the hood of the only remaining cruiser and faced the vortex again, watching the cruiser launch into the air, hurling toward him. He felt time slow down as his adrenaline kicked in, providing him further help as to how to prevent the cruiser from crashing into him and smashing across the numerous amounts of civilians scattered behind him, some transfixed to the event, others running for their lives. Narrowing his eyebrows, Delsin extended his arms outward; his hands cover with black auras of Smoke as he brought them together with a loud clap. The clap blasted forth a cluster of Smoke shots, coming in contact with the nearing cruiser and blasting it out of danger zone. Once the first threat was out of the way, Delsin scrunched his arms in, bending his knees as he twisted his body to the side. He untwisted himself with a grunt, launching high into the air above the destructive vortex in three fireballs of Smoke and ember. He gritted his teeth together as his body reformed fully and curled a fist, flipping himself around and using his Smoke thrusters as a means of an increase in speed. He descended straight into the eye of the vortex, impacting the ground with a massive shockwave.

The explosion ripped the vortex, dispersing it away in an instant as Delsin reformed back to physical form and stumbled forward, hearing cheers from the pedestrians he had just saved. "Way to go, Delsin Rowe!" With a nod, he picked himself up, waving for them to flee for cover as Cole stood in front of him, his fists emitting currents of electricity as he growled under his breath.

"Time to turn this up to 11!" Cole extended an arm out, grunting loudly as he jolted a stream of electricity, a constant arc, directly towards Delsin.

Delsin sidestepped and dashed out of the way of the ravaging arc, barely reaching towards an air vent near him before vacuuming straight ahead, zipping upwards and reappearing at the top of the low-rise building. He launched out, flailing his arms around as Cole directed his attack in his general direction, the arc wavering around, near missing its intended target. "Let me fill you in on something!" Delsin unraveled the Chain, whipping his arm forward as it flayed against Cole's skinned, scorching with superheated embers. "If you're gonna make a joke about electricity, at least know…" Immediately after the first attack, he wrapped the Chain around his fist, lunging upward and delivering an swift uppercut to Cole's chin. "…'**_Watts_**' up!" The punch was enough to knock Cole off of his feet and send him flying towards a TV display. This didn't count him out as in an instant, he thrusted his hand forward, shooting a bolt of lightning into Delsin's chest before crashing in, blasting him into a bus depot stop, breaking the glass and shattering the whole contrast on top of himself.

Cole nudged his head around and lifted it up, seeing that Delsin was nowhere to be seen, and then turned his attention to the twin sparking wires in front of him. He grabbed a hold of both of the wires and without hesitation, shoved the sparks into his chest, his body jolting up as he felt it begin to heal itself and receive more energy than before. The surge was powerful enough to break through the barrier, extend to an overcharged state. Cole glanced up ahead, growling as he roared with intense anger. "RAGH!" The overflow of energy drained the sources of all electronically devices in the immediate vicinity, triggering a blackout throughout Bellevue. In that instance, silence loomed over the district, though not for long as a radiant blast of electromagnetism was brought forth, phasing through the numerous buildings and skyscrapers in the wide area. The shock made an impact on the TV displays, rendering them destroyed as the structures holding each one steady collapsed over the pressure of the blast. Bits and pieces smashed on top of parked cars, over awnings, even some unlucky civilians, who were running desperately away for their lives. Panic grew thicker as Cole, appearing and hovering above and beyond the wrecked district, held his arms out and shot forth supercharged bolts of lightning, shattering the roads as they collided together. He brought fear and misery upon those who were trying to reach shelter and safety, smashing bus depots, Neon signs, and metal constructions that were demolished and sent crashing down in seconds.

Amidst the chaos and destruction, one police officer who survived the previous vortex event, took cover behind a totaled cruiser, raising his radio up to his mouth as he took in the surreal scene happening in front of him. "Does anybody have a visual on Delsin Rowe? I repeat, does anyone have visual on Delsin Rowe?" Cole fired off continuous shots of bolts, either coming in contact with a random target or blasting against the concrete of the sidewalk or the roads. His overcharged powers allowed him to stay afloat in the air as he shot two bolts at the ground simultaneously. He gritted his teeth as he quickly shot to his right before turning himself around to the left, feeling a sudden coldness and inflicting pain.

Taking him down from the air and onto the ground with a thud, Delsin stood from afar with a hose in his grasp. "Ho! Whoa! Okay!" He pushed the lever for the water release up, stopping the flow until further use. Two firemen stood behind him, each holding the hose up so as to help the Seattle hero. "Alright! Mike!" The first fireman stepped forward, reaching his hand out and giving Delsin a high five. "Big John!" He held his hand up as John gave Delsin a second high five. "It's been a wonderful pleasure doing business with you." Delsin handed the hose back to the men before jogging away, seeing Fetch and Eugene within his sights. "Hey. You guys, okay?" Eugene nodded his head rapidly, gazing around at the fallout.

"Yeah, we're good. Man, Delsin that was intense."

"Yes, yes it was. Fetch, hey, are you okay?" Delsin cupped his hands on her face, inspecting it for wounds as she nodded her head, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Just real quick, why did you shoot him? Why did you shoot Cole?"

"I wasn't- I wasn't thinking straight, alright? I'm sorry, I panicked. Then I calmed down…then I panicked once again when I saw you were nowhere to be found."

Delsin glanced at Eugene and beckoned him to come closer, wrapping his arms around the both of them and nodded his head. "Well, we made it and we did it. We stopped him. Let's head back home, yeah?"

"Wait, what about Cole? What do we do about him?" Fetch squeezed out of the group and stepped a little ways away from Cole's paralyzed body.

"He's going to Curdun Cay, where he belongs. Now I just need to find out who he is and why he's risen back up from the dead." Delsin placed his hands on his waist as he stood next to Fetch, Eugene beside Delsin.

"But wait, didn't we kind of, 'destroy' Curdun Cay earlier with our little stunt?"

"Well, we didn't exactly 'destroy' it. We just…renovated it a bit. Hey, I thought it would have more right angles to be honest." He smiled as Fetch scoffed under her breath, shaking her head with a soft giggle.

"Yeah…well, I guess that was that. We better head back home before Betty gets too worried about us." Fetch patted Delsin's shoulder then Eugene's as she began her walk back to the first island of Seattle.

"I'm good with that, I'm beat." Eugene sighed, drooping his shoulders as he followed second.

"Right behind you on that one, captain." Delsin rubbed the back of his head before proceeding forward, hoping Cole was the last of the random events he had encountered throughout the week.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

2:22 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

The trio arrived back at the Longhouse, all of them stricken with fatigue as they shambled inside, noticing Betty eyeing the TV with worriment. Upon hearing the door hit the wall, she turned toward them, getting up off of her seat on the couch and approaching them with a pre-existing hug. "Oh! I was so worried! Are you all okay?" She watched as Delsin threw thumbs up then Fetch with a slight nod and finally Eugene with his own nod of the head. "Well, now that that crazy, electric man is out of the picture, you all should get some sleep." The Conduits took her suggestion with ease, all nodding their heads before slowly walking past her towards their beds. Betty shook her head, sighing to herself before turning the TV off and lying sideways along the couch.

Delsin, Fetch and Eugene walked toward their parallel beds, Delsin slipping off his denim vest and unzipping his angel white jacket with a prolonged groan. Fetch eyed him while pulling down the sheets on her bed. "Hey…are you okay?"

Delsin folded both items of clothing neatly and set them down on a nearby chair before turning to Fetch and slightly nodding his head. "Yeah. Just…my hand is still zinging from when I touched Cole's arm, trying to stop him from hurting you. I'm not angry at you, Fetch. I'll never get angry at you. What you did, hey, I guess it was right, cause then if you didn't, how would I have been able to finally pull off a fireman skit?"

Fetch giggled silently, both of them smiling at one another before rolling onto their beds and pulling the sheets over their bodies. "You think he'll come back?"

Delsin inhaled deeply before letting out a soft exhale. "I don't know. Maybe."

"First we had Concrete Queen, now we have a Paper girl, two 'Tar Sisters' and a reborn legend. You know, for us being a trio of super powered heroes, our rogues gallery is pretty crappy."

Eugene and Delsin both chuckled at the statement.

"Yeah, next we'll have a guy with telekinesis, who can use it with his mind." Eugene teased before snickering quietly and turning over under his sheets, falling to sleep happily.

Delsin resumed chuckling softly before staring ahead at Fetch, who did the same before reaching out and holding his hand tightly. "Tomorrow…free time, all of us; we are to be relived from Super hero duties for a full twenty four hours. Heaven's Hellfire, Longhouse, Reservation, that's all."

Delsin couldn't help but smile at her determination, shaking her hand slightly before nodding his head in agreement. "Deal. No duties or quests. Well, except in Hellfire, of course. But hey, more bonding time for all of us, right?"

"Right." Fetch giggled, letting her fingers slip from his grip before tucking her arm under the covers. "Night, D."

"Good night…Abby."

Fetch reopened an eye she had just closed, wondering if she had heard what he said right. She couldn't ask, due to his eyes being closed with a soft grin printed across his face. "Hm." She smiled to herself before planting the side of her face into her pillow, resting for first light was approaching slowly but surely.


	9. The Enemy of My Enemy

The Enemy of My Enemy

* * *

7:45 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

Fetch lay on her bed, the covers hanging over the side as she breathed slowly, her eyes firmly shut. Not long after, the cold contact of a raindrop hit her forehead and managed to make her open her eyes a tad but close them again due to heavy fatigue. Another drop landed on her eyelid and she opened her eyes a second time, seeing Delsin hovering over him, a smile across his face. "You're so cute when you're sleeping and snoring." Fetch blinked slowly and raised an eyebrow at the man.

"I snore?" She asked, pulling her upper body right side up and yawning loudly.

"Yeah, a little bit." He chuckled and threw a brighter smile her way. "Come on, up and at 'em. Roof's leaking. Apparently, we had a downpour earlier, right before we passed out. Betty's already called a plumber or whatever and he's going to be here soon and she wants us away from the Longhouse while they work on patching up the roof. Let's go." Fetch hopped to her feet and jumped on her tiptoes, stepping away from soaking wet bed and slipping her jacket off.

"That sure does give you a chill." She wrapped her arms around herself, her teeth chattering together before feeling a coat of warmness cover her. Delsin wrapped both his jacket and his arms around the back of her, resting his chin on top of her forehead as he groaned lowly.

"Oh, I love you." He slipped his chin off of her forehead and stepped around in front of her, a slight grin appearing.

Fetch wrapped her fingers around his hands, pressing the side of her head against his chest and sighing softly. "I love you too…"

Delsin placed a hand on top of her head and patted it lightly, rocking back and forth slowly. "Come on…let's go eat breakfast with the others." He pulled back, staring down at her with a small smile before beginning to guide her toward the small circular kitchen table. Fetch could only yawn as she sat down in a chair next to Eugene, Delsin on the other side and Betty sitting across from them, a smile on her face as always.

"And how are the two lovebirds this morning?" Betty asked, taking her fork and knife to eat a piece of her sausage and egg together.

Delsin and the others smiled at one another before looking back at her, Delsin squinting his eyes slightly. "Betty, are you okay?"

Betty raised her head up at him, blinking her eyes slowly; tiredness appeared on her face as she nodded her head. "Yes. I'm alright, why?"

"Your eyes look just as bloodshot as mine did a couple days back. Didn't you sleep last night?" Delsin showed a face of concern and worriment as he sat up in his chair, resting his arms on the tabletop.

"…No. Not as much as I would've liked to have had. But, I did get some sleep."

"Betty…you didn't need to wait up for us…"

"And sleep knowing that in the back of my mind that you all might not make it back? I can't do that. No. But now that you all _are_ in fact alive and back, we can all rest and savior our strength."

Delsin sat up in his chair, placing his arms on the tabletop, tapping an index finger against the wood. "N-No, Betty, I can't do that. Not right now. I need to figure out how to beat this…Cole guy. When I touched him, I felt as though I was being bit a thousand scorpions at once, the pain…the exhilaration of it…I bet that's how his whole body feels. Painful…yet…very powerful once you become numb to it."

Fetch leaned forward, extending a hand out and grabbing one of the four cups of hot coffee Betty had made for them all, leaning back in her chair and taking a slow sip. "But, how are we gonna defeat him? I mean, the guy's pretty goddamn powerful, enough to trigger not one, but two blackouts in a matter of a twenty minute interval."

Delsin turned his head toward her, and then shifted his eyes at the wood of the table. "If I'm gonna have any chance of defeating him, I'm going to have to power myself up more. Unlock the full potential of Smoke."

"What about the other two?"

"No time. He'll have come back and robbed the entire city of its power by the time I mastered the other powers. I'm going to have to make a call…"

Fetch set the cup down, slowly raising an eyebrow at him. "…To who?"

"If I'm lucky, he hasn't left Seattle yet, or changed his number on his phone." With a huff, he reached into his back pocket and pulled his phone out, sifting through the contacts list till he found the right number and profile picture. He slowly turned the screen over to Fetch and Eugene, whose eyes slightly widened at the sight of the contact: Hank Daughtry.

Outside of the Reservation, Delsin walked outside, rubbing his nose as Fetch and Eugene tailed after him.

"Hank?! Delsin, Hank?! You mean, the big sweaty asshole who not only ratted all of us out but also-

"I know...what he did! But…maybe if he cooperates and actually helps me with this…he can be forgiven. Fetch, you have to believe me, I...have a burning passion of hatred for him. But I can't keep torturing myself with Reggie's memory. I need to move on, transfer his heart and soul and love and care into my own heart, not my head." Delsin took a step forward, placing both hands on Fetch's shoulders, which began to relax from contact. "Please, guys. Let me go. I'll be fine."

"Delsin-

"I'll be fine…Abby, please."

Fetch, still not used to those close calling her by real name, lowered her head in defeat and sighed softly. "Just…just come back in one piece…please." She lifted her head up and pecked him on the cheek, managing to form a half smile to him, which he returned afterwards.

"I will. I promise." He directed his attention toward Eugene, stepping around Fetch and patting his shoulder before embracing him in a hug. "Take care of her, will ya? Show her some more tricks in Hellfire." Eugene chuckled softly, stepping back from the hug and producing a grin as Delsin began his way toward the truck, stepping into the driver's seat and starting it up with the keys. Exhaling sharply, he threw the gear into Drive and pressed down on the gas pedal, making his way back to the city.

* * *

Seattle Center

8:18 AM

Seattle, WA

Delsin landed on his feet with a grunt on top of one of the Pacific Science Center buildings after dashing into an air vent and using his thrusters for more momentum and elevation. As he stood up straight to stretch himself out, he felt and heard his phone begin to buzz and ring, taking it out of his back pocket and hitting the send button. "Yeah?"

"So, are you gonna tell us the real reason as to why exactly we couldn't come?"

Delsin winced under his breath as he began taking small steps forward. "Look, I was just worried that if I arrived to see him with you two on my back, he would get scared and high-tail it for the hills. Besides…it'll give us time to bond."

"Ugh, I hate you sometimes." She joked suddenly. "Love you."

"Love you too." He lowered the phone and ended the call, putting back in his pocket before crouching down, spotting a lone figure in the middle of the Science Center driveway. There, standing next to the T-rex sculpture stood Hank, decked out in new pairs of clothes, simple jacket with an undershirt, jeans and dress shoes. Delsin watched as Hank scanned the environment around him, wondering when and where Delsin would arrive before him. Sure enough, in a matter of seconds with a dash of Smoke, he did appear before Hank, standing still as they locked eyes on one another. "Hello. Hank."

"Kid…" Hank stated solemnly, turning his gaze to a different direction.

Delsin blinked his eyes rapidly, his lips parting ways as he shook his head slightly. "Look, I need your help. Yes, I know the last time we met; I tried to hurt you-

"Hurt me? You damn near strangled me to death!" Hank stared ahead, taking a step forward in defiance.

"But! I'm willing to move past what happened on the Concrete Island if you just help me unlock more Smoke powers. With or without the Core relays. This city is undergoing its fair share of Conduits and evil people. Okay, I have two sisters who have the power of Tar, another girl who has Paper as a power and makes origami at will and taunts with me every time I see her. And now, I have a reborn legend on the loose. His name's Cole. Ring any bells?"

"Cole…as in Cole MacGrath?" Hank widened his eyes, taking back the step he previously took. "No way, man. He's dead."

"Well, obviously not since he attacked and zapped at me, Fetch and Eugene last night."

"Those two kids are still alive? Oh good…I thought they both drowned after Augustine slammed that Concrete cocoon down to the structure."

"Look, will you help me, Hank? Please?"

"Hm…fine. I'll help you. But first, you need to help me."

"Oh no, no, no-

"Please, Delsin. It's my daughter, Emily. She's been captured, after you spared me, we were going to high-tail it in the boat. But the DUP caught up with us, those bastards. Took Emily. There was too many of 'em, so I fled to safety. Trying to devise a plan to free her. But now, maybe with you on my side, we have a surefire chance of rescuing her from those fiends. What do you say? Please?"

Delsin raised his hands up to his waist, staring down at the ground for a few moments before glancing back up. "Where's she at?"

"Oh, thank you, man! Last I saw, she was being held up at the docks, DUP have that place totally disjointed. Shipping containers everywhere, their stupid towers hanging up on each end, and day and night patrols, all twenty-four hours, no questions asked."

"Sounds like a rock and a hard place to break in there silently. But we need to, as best as we can, in order to keep Emily alive. My bet is that if we're caught, they'll either execute her or transport her to another district of town. So we gotta be fast and quiet."

"Way ahead of you, ready?"

"After you, 'Butch'."

The duo phased into Smoke, Hank, being the original user was able to dash much farther Delsin, who had to step up the pace if he was to catch up with the origin smoker. "So Hank…how exactly do you plan on beefing me up, after we rescue Emily that is…?"

"I've seen them DUPs still putting Core Relays all over town in discrete. They need it just as much as you do."

"Well, they're not exactly helping my situation; they're my enemies too, still. But if it helps in granting me new abilities, I'll be down for anything they throw at me…" With a grunt, Delsin triggered his thrusters, landing next to Hank as they stopped by a road railing to take a look at the nearby pier. The area from where they were looking from was heavily guarded with troops surrounding heavy shipping containers, their fingers pressed tightly against the trigger of their assault rifles and snipers. "So, here's the plan. I'll go in from the back, dash my way to the end of the pier and take out the nearby guards there. You, on the other hand, will go from the front entrance make your way halfway with me once I've taken care of the rest, got it?"

"This plan kind of sucks, kid…just saying." Hank shrugged to himself, still peering ahead at the guards.

"Do you have a plan?" Delsin glanced over at him, an eyebrow rising.

"Rescue Emily, kill all the sons of bitches in our way. No need for stealth. We're two heavy duty Smoke tanks. You can do that pretty neat aerial drop thing that you do at the end, clear all the rest of them out in one gigantic swoop."

Delsin was about to open his mouth to protest but shut himself out as he shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head slightly. "Alright…nice."

* * *

Seattle Pier

8:50 AM

Seattle, WA

Delsin and Hank positioned themselves on top of the 'Ned's Bait and Tackle' warehouse, granting them an overhead view of the entire pier as they both breathed through their noses.

"So…you got a plan B in that thick head of yours, kid?"

Delsin eyed the pier, narrowing his eyes to enhance his view. He could spot multiple megaphone speakers planted on light posts, which were to be used as alarm signals of any such disturbance. "No, no, we stick to plan A. Silent, but deadly. I'll go over to the opposite side of the pier and clear out whomever I can before I go for Emily; you go through the front and clear out your set of guys. Got it?"

"Alright, kid. But be careful. I'm serious." Hank glanced at Delsin, his eyes proving very well that he was in fact serious about this.

"We got this...I think." Delsin gave a crooked half-smile to Hank as he patted his shoulder and got up to move into position with a Smoke dash.

"Ah, jeez…" Hank muttered to himself, wondering what exactly went on in that kid's thick, and conduit head of his.

As Delsin moved into position on the far side of the pier, he tapped the send call button to contact Hank. Hank answered immediately after the first ring. "Okay, you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Delsin kept the call going as he began to proceed forward, creeping quietly to the edge of one of the shipping containers. He pressed his back against the wall and held his breath as he heard the soft sounds of military boots clumping against the wooden flooring. "One….two…-." He reached three in his head and twirled around the corner of the container, gripping the D.U.P agent's armor collar with one hand and smashing his free palm against the helmet visor. His fingers became hot with silent rage as the agent began to produce muffled screams and slowly bend down to his knees in what mercy he had left. Delsin shoved the unconscious soldier to the ground, shaking his hand free of Smoke and stepping over the body.

Hank had dashed down to the main level of the pier, his arms constantly illuminating a bright tinge of embers and ash. As he approached the backside of an agent, he gritted his teeth in anger while stomping his foot into the concave space of one of the agent's knees, bringing a hand up to his helmet and spewing out a gust of thick, black smoke, rendering the agent dismantled.

Delsin clambered up the side of a container, pulling himself up to get a short bird's eye view of the landscape. His eyes only spotted two or three more patrols just ahead of his current position. To his left, he saw Hank, who waved over at him before continuing onwards in his path. "Very nice. Let's get this done." With a short grunt, he hopped off of the front and landed swiftly on the ground, making his way forward to catch up with Hank.

Hank had dispatched a second patrolling agent, dunking him in the water after giving his face a new makeover with Smoke. He could hear the loud clangs and thuds of prisoners trapped inside random containers but couldn't make out which one held his daughter in.

"Hey- Yo, Hank, you still with me?"

Hank clicked the microphone back on in his phone and nodded his head blankly. "Yeah, I'm still here. I made it to the middle of the playing field. Not sure which one is Emily's though. What about you? Any luck?"

Delsin shook his head in minor frustration as he cautiously peered around every corner he passed. "Nah, nothing yet…we're going to have to open them one by one and save these people. And I mean everybody. If not; they'll be sold to prostitution or worse, man."

"Alright, I hear you. You rescue the survivors, I'll search for Emily."

"Okay, see you there."

Both Hank and Delsin muted themselves on phone, one still being cautious and alert while the other began desperately opening some of the shipping containers as quietly as he possibly could.

"Come on, Emily-." Hank muttered fervently to himself as the first containers came up with nobody even inside them. "-where are you?" Delsin on the other hand, heard the muffled sounds of a high-pitched whimper to the container just right of him. He stopped abruptly, slowly careening his head over at where the source came from and inched towards it.

"Hello…?" He whispered harshly. "Is anybody in there?"

"H-H-hello…?" The feminine voice captured Delsin off guard for a second before he refocused himself.

"Okay, okay. I'm going to get you out of here, along with everybody else. What's your name, miss?"

"E-Emily- Emily Daughtry…"

"Wait- Emily? Hank Daughtry' daughter, right?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Okay, shh, I'm going to let you out now- But I need you to stay quiet and stay close behind me, alright?"

"Mm-hm." Emily's voice sounded drained and cracked as Delsin could clearly hear on the other side. He felt sincerely bad for the girl as it gave him a subtle reminder of Abigail and how she used to be when she was younger and her older brother with her. The memory flashback took him away for a minute before shook his head and yanked the key-coordinated lock off with a swish of the arm.

The doors opened and Emily stumbled out onto her hands and knees, gasping for real fresh air as Delsin crouched down in front of her. "Hey, hey- Are you okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and the other around her chest as he began to help her up onto her feet. "Alright, there yo- My god..." Delsin stayed silent as he examined Emily's face, cuts ran across her face, her lips swollen immensely, an eye blackened from beatings no doubt. "-What did they _do_ to you?"

Emily felt rather ashamed, resorting to bending her head down in disgust, her body shaken uncontrollably from the cold, humid air.

Delsin kept that image of her locked in his brain as he held onto both of her shoulders. "Emily. I need you here, I need you here right now. Okay? Your father's waiting on you just on the other side of this pier."

His eyes watched Emily's head rise up in enthusiasm and her eyes become partially wide. "He's here?"

"Yes. And he's very eager to see you. Do you think you can make it? I can carry you if you're too badly hurt."

Emily gave a short shake of her head, taking one step forward with inner confidence. That confidence faded however as her front leg wobbled and she fell onto Delsin, grasping his denim vest tightly.

"Whoa- I got you. Don't worry, come on." He picked up an arm of hers, wrapping it around his shoulder blades while holding her waist with the other. "Okay, I need you to take my phone out of my back pocket and un-mute it. Your father is on the line as we speak."

Emily grunted softly as she tried to reach into his back pocket with her bruised fingers. It took two attempts before she was able to dull the pain out for a second and grab it by her fingernails. "G-got it." She rested it in her palm to inspect the layout first then hit the little microphone icon towards the bottom of the screen. "Daddy…?"

On the opposite side, Hank heard a familiar voice arise on his phone. He quickly reached for it and un-muted his side of the call. "Honey- Is that you?"

"Daddy!" Emily coughed immediately after her excited reply.

"A-are you okay? Is Delsin with you?"

"Y-yeah- he rescued me just now. Where are you?"

"I'm just on the opposite side of the pier; I'm coming towards you both. Hang in there, sweetheart." Hank lowered the phone away from his ear before jogging forward at his usual pace toward the duo after rounding the corners of a few containers along the way. Hank stopped abruptly, spotting Delsin holding Emily up on her feet, his expression too showed real fear and astonishment when he saw her face for the first time. But that quickly resolved with a warm smile from Emily's end as she slipped out of Delsin's grip and nearly hobbled her way to her father's embrace, who met her halfway.

As the two hugged one another tightly, Delsin stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the two loving one another. His mind immediately resonated to a distant thought of Reggie, closing his eyes as he began to remember holding his wrist tightly as they both hung along Augustine's Concrete base.

**_"I love you, bro."_**

**_"AHHHH! NOOOO!"_**

Delsin reopened his eyes, his expression showing nothing but sadness before just out of focus, he saw Emily and Hank detach from each other, re-engaging him in the situation at hand. "Alright, you guys ready to go? They haven't spotted us yet so if we're lucky, we can-."

For Delsin's unfortunate luck, a spotlight sprang on, flashing the trio's eyes intensely. "Aw crap…" An air raid siren blared on, calling all D.U.P reinforcements to report to the docks ASAP.

"Move! Move! Move!"

"Delta team, on me!"

"Go! Go!"

"Bio-Terrorists!"

"One of the prime suspects has escaped! I repeat, one of the prime suspects has escaped! Capture, if so!"

As all team members radioed their positions, Delsin and the others crouched down low to the ground, peering around the corner of the shipping container they were planted next to.

"Okay, there's no one here. Let's head around this way and- Huh? Emily!"

Delsin quickly turned his head back, seeing Hank being slammed to the ground and strapped with a conduit lock mechanism while Emily was snatched and being carried away by the head leader of the team.

"Delsin! Help!"

"Emily! Hang on! You bastards! Let her go!"

Without thinking straight, Delsin ran headlong into the group of D.U.P agents, becoming blocked from Emily as they gripped him tightly by the forearms, lifting him fully off of his feet and slamming him down on his backside. Delsin felt the wind get knocked out of him as he laid there, groaning silently to himself. His vision began to blur as the entirety of Delta team surrounded both him and Hank.

"Take them to the APC. You two are headed back home where you belong. Bio-Terrorist scum."

Delsin felt numb to the core as the agents strapped the mechanism on his own wrists before becoming distorted and ultimately going unconscious, but not without mustering enough strength to mutter his last word.

"E-Emily…"

* * *

Curdun Cay, NV

2:00 AM

Delsin re-awoke to find himself in a completely different and random environment, stirring to get himself up as the only light shining above him flickered constantly. "Ugh…what?" As he raised his upper body up, his eyes readjusted to the somewhat dimly lit room, revealing nothing but four walls, made entirely out of concrete. "Where am- Emily! No! Emily!" He brought his legs over the concrete slab he was placed upon and jogged to the only door, wrapping his fingers around the bars that were placed in front of him. "Emily! Where are you? Emily!"

He stopped himself as the door he was tugging against unlocked itself and gradually opened for his exiting. He stepped out onto the long hallway that seemed to stretch forever, gazing left and right before sighing heavily. He proceeded right, down the hall, one after another; doors were placed on either side of him, each holding a special conduit inside. He could see them banging and yelling at the windows but no sound was produced.

"Sound proof rooms…huh." He ignored their pleas and continued onward, finally seeing a different scope in perspective, an awfully large but creative battle arena. "What in the hell?"

"Welcome, Delsin Rowe. Welcome home. I'm sorry, I couldn't get the Christmas decorations up in time, but oh well, and we can celebrate over our victory of your capture."

The voice was all too familiar as standing before Delsin was a silhouette of a feminine figure.

"No…way."

Stepping into his view and the light appeared Augustine, smiling at him with her hands placed on her hips. "Miss me?"

Delsin stared ahead wide eyed, holding his hands out in front of him, and taking a small step backwards. "Augustine? But I thought you-

"-were run out of business? Oh please, Delsin. I always have my ways, you, especially, should know that. Just as I have yet another surprise for you. When's the last time you called Fetch- or Abigail I should say?"

Delsin instantly reached for his back pocket but found that his phone was nowhere to be acquired. He cursed himself inside his mind before directing his attention back to Augustine.

"Well, don't worry…" She began, retreating back into the darkness, holding her arms up gloriously. "…you can say hi to her now."

When Augustine stepped back, a new figure emerged, revealing Fetch, clad in what appeared to be a fully functional D.U.P outfit. Her hair was washed out to a thick brown color with only a sliver of purple left on it and her face showed anger and fear stirred into a deadly combination.

"Fetch…no."

Abigail cracked her neck, raising a hand up rife with Neon energy as she began to approach him.

"I really wish it didn't have to come this way. You really disappoint me, Delsin."

As Augustine muttered before turning away from the scene to return back to her home room, Delsin could only stare ahead at his love as she brought both hands together, growling lowly.


	10. A Rude Awakening

A Rude Awakening

* * *

Curdun Cay, NV

2:10 AM

"Fetch, come on. It's me. Don't do this!"

"Shut up!" Abigail screeched in anger as she threw both hands forward, blasting a wave of intense Neon energy towards her intended target.

"Whoa!" Delsin reacted fast, dashing to the side in a cloud of smoke, reforming back to physical form in an instant. "Abby, please! Don't listen to Augustine!"

"Don't call me Abby, you insolent prick!" She threw another blast at him, gritting her teeth in a sadistic happiness. "I told you not to trust him! Now look where it got you! Where it got us! You brought this upon yourself, Delsin Rowe!"

"I didn't- Yikes!" He swerved to the side with Smoke, sliding across the ground on his shoes before stopping and getting his bearings. "I didn't mean to! I thought he was the only way to help beef me up! What was I suppose to do?"

"Let, us, help!" One after another, she threw a quick succession of Neon bolts towards him. "You always pushed us to the side, Me, Eugene, Betty! We only want to help, but you're so full of yourself that you can't even see that! Ragh!" She rubbed her palms together, lurching forward and triggering a wave of Neon as she parted both hands away.

Delsin was able to dodge most of the rapid firing bolts, only soon after re-orienting himself was he impacted by the intense wave, sending him flying off of the ground and landing with a loud thud on a concrete platform. "Ugh…uh…ah…"

Abigail lowered her arms, preceded forward and approaching him, kicking away a small piece of concrete rubble that stood in her path. She hovered over him, her arms keeping a constant flow of Neon as she shook her head in disgust. "I thought you loved me…"

Delsin could only gasp for air and widen his eyes, watching her crouch lower to him and begin to cover his face with her hand.

"N-AH-A-RAH-AH-RAGH!" His screamed echoed throughout the room and in his mind as in a jolt, Delsin raised himself upwards, screaming and panting wildly. "GAH!"

"Delsin! Delsin, hey!" Immediately getting up beside him was Abigail, wrapping her arms tightly around his backside so as to keep him steady while he began to realize where he was, lying in his bed back at the Akomish Reservation.

"Ugh-God…!"

"W-What's happening?" Eugene's voice filled up the room as both Abby and Delsin saw him wake up from his own bed just beside him.

"H-He's okay, he finally woke up. Hey, Delsin, are you okay?" She moved a hand over to his face and forced him to look at her, leading him to sigh in relief.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm okay. Oh, Abby." He leaned toward her, resting his sweat covered head in the crook of her neck. "I saw you…you attacked me, I think…killed me."

"Shh, quiet now. You're okay…you're okay. You're safe here with us. Isn't that right, Lana?"

Delsin immediately raised his head up, seeing that Abby wasn't there at all, nor was Eugene. Instead, they morphed into their true forms, the Tar Sisters, Lana and Bianca.

"Miss us?"

"Of course he missed us! Can't you see the look on his face?"

"Mmm, yes. Mother would be proud."

Delsin scooted back, toppling over the side of the bed and rolling onto his stomach, instantly pushing himself up. "J-Just stay away from me! Get out!"

Both sisters gave him a degenerated look. "Now, that's no way to talk to a lady! Oh, what shall we do little sister?"

"I know exactly what we shall do. Torment him some more."

"N-No! Get out of my brain!" Delsin gripped the sides of his head, falling to his knees in frustration and agony.

"Oh but Delsin sweetie…" Began one of the twins, disappearing into a thick black blob of Tar. "…we've been here all along."

Delsin gazed upwards, seeing one up close to him. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before the sister lunged forward with an ear-piercing scream, sending him an agonizing headache.

"AHH!"

"DELSIN!"

Delsin lunged upward, breathing heavily before noticing that Abigail, Eugene and Betty were all crowded around his bed, startled by his sudden awakening. It was Abby who screamed his name, lunging forward and embracing him in a warm hug. "Are you okay…?"

Delsin felt his heart beginning to slow down as he felt her embrace, taking her face in his hands and lifting it upwards to meet his eyes. "…No. I'm not." He spoke with sincere honesty to her as his eyes shifted upon Eugene and Betty. "How long have I been-?"

"Ever since the night with Cole, you've been in a deep sleep for almost two day's man." Eugene began, inching closer along with Betty, who still had a worried look in her eyes.

"You were mumbling in your sleep, speaking of someone named Emily, and then screamed out Abby's name in desperation. We didn't know what to do. We thought you would never wake up…" Betty reached over, touching his hand gently and patting it graciously.

Abby stopped hugging Delsin, sitting beside him as he had a confused look on his face. "B-But wait…the shipping containers…at the Seattle docks, are they still there?"

"Well…yeah, but why do you ask?" Abby slowly raised an eyebrow his way.

"In my uh…in my dream, that's where Hank's daughter, Emily was being held. I agreed to help him rescue her and in return, he would help beef up my Smoke powers in order to fight Cole."

"Why would you go with him…?"

"I wanted to put that hatred I had against him away…for good. He means good, we've all seen it. He just makes the wrong choices under pressure."

Abby could understand his choice and nodded her head. "I probably would too…to be honest."

Delsin gradually narrowed his eyes. "If what I saw in my dream was true, then Emily is still there, locked up inside one of those containers as a prime Bio-Terrorist suspect! I got to rescue her and help Hank out!"

"Wait, let us come with you. Eugene and I can help."

Delsin had already gotten off of the bed by the time she called for him.

"No, I can't allow-." Something in his head clicked, his mind had conjured up what little of the dream he could remember, Abby's words to him when they battled.

**_"Let, us, help!_** **_You always pushed us to the side, Me, Eugene, Betty! We only want to help, but you're so full of yourself that you can't even see that!"_**

Delsin released a small sigh as he dug his fingers into his palms many times before turning back around to the group. "Alright…you two can come along. Just don't let me get you two in trouble when we see Hank again, okay?"

Abby and Eugene smiled at one another before putting their jackets on and hopping off the bed in unison. "We won't."

"Betty…" Delsin stepped passed them, walking up to her and hugging her lightly. "We'll be back in no time, I promise." He grinned at her.

"You all have fun, and don't hurt please. Ugh, it pains me so much." She chuckled before patting his shoulder, indicating they could leave.

With that, Delsin regrouped with the others and they all jogged out of the longhouse, hopping into the truck and making their way back into Seattle.

"You do know that it's around 2:30 in the morning, right?"

"You do know that we're not going to abandon you, right?"

Delsin and Abby both smiled at each other before she turned her eyes back on the road.

* * *

Seattle Pier

8:50 AM

Seattle, WA

The trio arrived back in the Emerald City, making their way towards the docks where the shipping containers were still placed and kept intact. They all slid into cover underneath the railing that led into the front side of the docks, each keeping their breathing steady.

"So what do we do now?" Abigail peered over the railing for a quick second before ducking back down with Delsin and Eugene.

"Okay…so in my dream, Hank and I took the opportunity stealthily, took out about three of the patrolling guards before I bumped into Emily's container. After that, they embraced after reuniting but we then got caught and I was knocked out. Emily was taken back and Hank was arrested before I lost consciousness. Then, I woke up in Curdun Cay, I think and…I saw her."

"Wait, who?"

"Augustine…in all her bitching glory asked me when I last called you but my phone was taken. Soon after…you appeared, in a D.U.P get-up." Delsin glanced at her, staring deep into her eyes. Abby only widened them in surprise.

"S-she captured me? No…"

"Yes…you charged up your powers, she left, you attacked me with bolts and lasers. I dodged them…most of them."

"No, I didn't!"

"I'm sorry, Abby…!" He clenched his teeth, closing his eyes tightly before regaining his breath and re-opening them. "I was hit; you walked up to me, muttered something, and then slowly reached a hand over to my face, your hand imbued with Neon energy."

Abby panted heavily, twisting her fingers into tight fists, gazing down at them in disgust and anger before relaxing her fingers and throwing them down with a choked growl. "I wouldn't dare…! Why would you dream something like that?"

"It wasn't my choice; it was those…sisters again."

"They came back?"

"Yes, toyed with me once again, next time, I'm putting my foot up their asses." He looked at her for a second time, seeing a tear trail down her cheek as she had tried to keep a determined face. "Hey, come on. I know you wouldn't do such a thing, only if I pissed you off that is." He was able to get a wry chuckle out of her, which led to his own. "So don't you worry, I still love you forever."

"Uh…if you two lovebirds are done gawking at one another, Emily's still in trouble." Eugene blurted out, his eyes fixated on the numerous containers, trying to figure out which one held Emily.

Delsin redirected his attention to the task at hand and flipped himself up to his feet along with Abigail, vaulting over the railing with a huff and rolling onto the wooden floorboard of the pier. "I know which one it is, follow me! Take out any agents you see!" Delsin ordered as he immediately came in contact with an agent, loosening his chain and slinging it forward, hearing the metal impact with an explosion of Smoke. Another two wide swings and the agent was down on the ground, unconscious. He wasted no more time and followed the path he took in his dream, stopping abruptly and turning his head to the right, hearing the same voice as before, Emily's.

"Emily. It's Delsin Rowe; I'm going to get you out of here!"

He could hear the poor girl sniff her nose as she anxiously approached the barred off doors, hitting her palms against it. "Delsin Rowe? I've heard about you. You helped my father, how did you find me?"

"Well…uh…let's just say it's a long story- Anyway, I'm going to get you out of there, just hold o-."

Interrupting the moment, a loud clang occurred on the top of the container, bending the roof of it down a little as an adult male appeared, his arms vibrating at a quickened pace and releasing a soft 'whirring' sound.

"Ah shit…"

"Delsin? Are you still there? Delsin?"

"Yeah, Emily, I'm still here, it's just…I got a little problem to take care of. Don't worry, you're safe, just stay in there."

The male used the vibrations in his arms and launched off of the container with a loud sonic boom, landing just a few feet ahead of Delsin.

"Step away from the container, Rowe."

"Now why would I do such a thing as that?"

"Miss Augustine's betting a high price for that girl and I'm going to be the first one to take it."

_"Huh…so 'she' is alive, after all. Damn." _Delsin spoke in his head as he stared at the supposed Conduit's arms. "A little jumpy, are we now?"

"It's nothing much, just a few of these blasts and you'll be down for the count! Sonic boom!"

"Wait…you mean that new TV show? Dude, you are nothing short of a circus act." Delsin snickered quietly to himself as he bent his knees slightly, preparing for a battle.

"Huh, I'll show you a circus act, Rowe! Ragh!" The opposing conduit threw his arms out, generating an array of solid vibrations towards Delsin, who rose his arms up above his face in preparation.

"Oh this is going to hurt…!"

He clenched his teeth, waiting for the sudden impact, but nothing happened, leading him to open one eye to see Abigail fending off the blast with her own Neon base attack.

"Delsin, were you seriously about to take it up the ass like that?"

"Um…maybe? You don't know!"

"Uh huh, spare me the lecture, mind helping out, honey?"

"You got it!" With a deep inhale, Delsin dashed to the top of a container located right next to him and extending an arm out, feeling a charge up of Smoke in his arm as he cocked it back. When he was ready, he flung it forward, releasing a cluster of smoke bolts all at once, hitting the sonic conduit in the face and causing him to stumble backwards.

"Argh! You'll pay for that, Rowe!" He growled loudly at him, only for Delsin to blow raspberries in a response.

"Stupid head!"

The conduit became enraged, pulling an arm back then forward again, firing off a thick blast of ionic energy at the container Delsin was standing on. The attack damaged the corner of the container, leading Delsin to dash over to another one, only to dash away again as the conduit fired once again. "Hold still, you little runt! I'll squash you all over this pier!"

"Dude, find a better villain dictionary, yeah? Jeez, you sound like the most cliché one ever!" Delsin snapped his fingers forward, sending a single smoke bolt at the conduit's face, rendering him to hold his face in slight pain.

"Gah! Ugh! Ragh! Whoa!" The conduit's expression changed to sudden surprise as Eugene appeared in his full angel form, picking the conduit up by one leg and shaking him lightly.

"SURRENDER OR WITNESS THE WRATH OF 'HE WHO DWELLS'!" Eugene yelled through his mega-booming voice.

The conduit was quick to give up, discharging his powers and pleading to be let go. "Let me go! I surrender! I swear!"

"Hmph! Weakling!" Eugene scoffed as he tossed the conduit down to the ground and into the doors of Emily's container. What may have seems like a toss to him was actually a full bore throw to everyone else, causing Delsin and Abigail to wince in unison.

"Nice work, Eugene!" Delsin called out, jogging into the container and dragging the conduit out by the straps of his tanktop, Emily right behind him, her face looking just as it had appeared in his dream, battered and beaten.

"My god, what did those bastards do to you, love?" Abigail's voice wavered in concern and anger as she took a quick examination of her face.

As she performed a quick check-up on Emily and Eugene reverted back to his normal self, Delsin had yanked the conduit into the side walls of a random container and restrained his hands in smoke. "Alright, buddy, what do you know of Augustine's return to glory?"

"I-I-I don't know much! But I do know she's got a vendetta aimed at you, t-that's for sure!"

"Hm, figures. What about this whole deal with the girl?"

"It wasn't really meant for her, it was meant for you…"

"Go on."

"She's offered all the escapees a bunch of money to defeat you and take you to her; she's playing all the cards, man. She's even offered to erase some of us off of the radar, who could say no to that?"

"I actually think I know someone who would take me in for that…anyway, so basically what you're saying is that Augustine's offering you guys money and disappearance, just to capture little, old me?"

"Exactly." The conduit nodded his head rapidly.

"Aw, how sweet, though that doesn't give you a free pass, you're going 'home' buddy. Back where you belong. In Curdun Cay."

"W-What? But I just told you all I know!"

"I know. And I thank you for sharing your information with me, I think this is the beginning of a great friendship between all of you guys and myself, now let's go pal."

Delsin closed the doors shut on a nearby D.U.P. APC as the conduit was hogtied in smoke and thrown inside. "Jeez…"

"What?" Abigail, Eugene and Emily all approached him, forming a small circle.

"Well, looks like Augustine is still alive and she's bribing a bunch of conduits to secure my capture for her. She's got it out for me and good." Delsin placed his hands on his waist as he sighed softly, shaking his head in exhaustion.

"Hey, remember when you came out of the Channel 6 news building, what I told you?"

"We're in this together…"

"Exactly, Smoke-boy." Abigail pounded her fist against his shoulder and smirked.

"Heh." Delsin grinned half-way before turning to Emily. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I just want my father back."

"Hank, yeah I was wondering where he was too. Figured you could tell us."

"N-No, I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We'll find him. For now, how about we take you to the Reservation back home and get you cleaned up, Betty loves new visitors anyway." Delsin chuckled softly.

"Betty?"

"Oh, she's great. She's lovable, caring."

"Makes great breakfast!" Abigail butted in.

"And makes good coffee!" Eugene came into frame as well, all three smiling a cheeky bright smile at Emily.

"Alright…I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Awesome! Uh, Eugene, you're carrying her." He slapped the back of his hand against Eugene's shoulder.

"Whoa, wait, what? No way. Rock, paper, scissors."

"Alright, fine. One round."

"You're on!"

They both stood in front of one another, each holding a single fist out and began counting.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors-."

"Smoke!" Delsin opened his fist up and fired a small smoke bolt at Eugene's chest, watching him fly back to the ground before beginning to die of laughter. "Hehahaha! I'm kidding man, I'm kidding, and I'll carry her. Come on, Emily. Uh, Fetch, see if Eugene is okay."

Abigail scoffed, blowing a strand of her hair out of her mouth as she rolled her eyes, hearing Eugene's soft groaning on the ground. "Boys will be boys…"

"Not….cool…."


	11. We Wish You a Merry Shock-Mas

We Wish You A Merry Shock-Mas! (Part 1)

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Thursday, 7:45 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

"Wake up! Wake up, you lazy turd!"

"Mm, no. Five more minutes, Mom…"

"I'm not your mom, now wake up!"

"N-no! Never! Mm…."

"Ugh!"

…

…

"I said WAKE UP!"

"Gah! Whoa-oh! Jesus! Ah-Ow!"

"I told you to wake up…"

"By Neon-blasting my bed?"

"Mm-hm! Love you too, Smokes, now get up! It's almost my favorite time of year!"

"What's that? 'Torment Delsin day'?"

"No, smarty! Christmas! I haven't had a chance to spend one for so long! At least, not with a real family, you know."

"I know…I know. Come here." Delsin rubbed his eyelids quickly before pulling himself off of the ground and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, embracing her in a hug. "I bet Brent would've loved to see you this happy again…"

"He would, actually." She giggled under her breath, her eyes being able to see it as to the temperature being almost down to freezing point. "Could you um…power up your Smoke? I'm freezing my ass off right now…"

"Oh Jesus, you are right, sure, sure." In an instant, his arms triggered thick black auras of warm smoke, beginning to heat up both him and Abigail. As he held her, he felt cold trails of water soak into his jacket. "Man…you really _are_ freezing. Doesn't your Neon provide heat?"

"Well…I mean it might. But I was just thinking of an excuse for you to actually hug me every once in a while."

Delsin arched his head back, watching her lift up her own and he raised an eyebrow. "Exsqueeze me? I always hug you, every morning."

"Mhm, for like five seconds then you back away like I actually /am/ your mother." She chuckled softly.

"If only I knew what she looked like…"

"Your mom?"

"Yeah…I can't remember her face…or my pops…"

"Maybe Betty has a photo of them together. Grandmothers always do."

"She probably does but I'll worry about that after we spend a good day as a family together. Oh, that reminds me, how's Emily doing?"

"Amazing. She's gotten used to the place already. Making some friends around the Reservation and…I think she's gotten herself a lucky person, if you know what I'm saying."

"Oh…? Really now? I bet it's Nick. That sly bastard."

"Hehe…sly…heh."

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing, it's just there's this guy around Seattle who's tag is Sly. He's got them all around town."

"Ugh…yeah, I've seen them. Ego-maniac."

"Oooh! Do I sense a little jealousy from Delsin Rowe right now?"

"Well I mean, the guy's good. But I make some good art too, right?"

"Um…"

"Right?" He brought his second eyebrow up.

"Well…a little."

"Oh come on…! No way! The guy's got an ego as big as his mom!"

"How do you know how big his mom is?"

"I just do!"

"Hehe! You're so cure when you're angry. Come on, everyone's up and at the Christmas table, Betty even decorated a tree all through the night. Poor woman…she deserves some sleep. I mean, we should be there more for her."

"You know what? I think you might be right about that."

"Of course I'm right. Don't ever deny it either, buddy."

"Psh…"

As they approached the kitchen table, both Abigail and Delsin stared in awe at the massive tree planted in the corner of the Longhouse, decorated from the very top to the very bottom, all coming together with a star hanging on the tip.

"Holy crap! Betty, you did this?"

Betty, who was sitting next to both Eugene and Emily, grinned brightly before discreetly pointing a finger over a Eugene. "With a little help from an 'Angel'." Eugene smiled back at her, his cheeks flushing red.

"It was nothing, really."

"Nothing? No way, man, that's not anything. You guys are amazing!" Delsin sat next to him, Abigail next to Emily.

Betty and Eugene both shook their heads before she got up to check on the running stove nearby. "Well, now that we're all up. We can have our Christmas breakfast. Pancakes, sausage, eggs, scrambled and sunny side up, syrup, milk and some orange juice."

"Delsin…I think I might die…"

"Wait, what? Why?"

"That sounds…so…freaking…good…" Abigail faked fainted while beginning to laugh with Emily as she agreed in advance.

"It does smell rather amazing."

"Thank you, dear." Betty acknowledged, bringing four plates of food for all of them and setting each down one at a time.

Delsin noticed the shortened number and raised an eyebrow. "Betty? You're not eating?"

"No thank you, dear. I'm just not hungry at the moment." Betty sat back down in her chair and smiled at him before reaching below the table and lifting up four neatly wrapped presents. "But, I do have these. Your Christmas Eve presents that I received this morning. Here is yours Emily, Abigail, Eugene and Delsin." She handed them all out gently as they all took a hold of their own presents.

Emily opened up hers first, a small box that unveiled a beautiful necklace and bracelet. She gasped shortly before glancing up at Betty. "N-No, I couldn't-."

"Ah-bah- It's yours. It was nothing, really. I always treat my guests with the upmost respect, no matter what holiday it is. It just happened to be Christmas Eve when you arrived." Betty giggled before watching her unbuckle both accessories put them on in their respective places.

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, dear."

Abigail went next, unwrapping her gift and revealing a fresh new pack of purple hair dye. She shifted her eyes over to Betty, grinning. "You didn't…"

"I sure did."

"Oh, you're the greatest, Betty."

"It's no problem."

Eugene followed, unwrapping his gift and finding a brand new video game underneath.

"No way, the new expansion for Heaven's Hellfire?!"

Betty giggled under her breath as she patted his shoulder gently. "Only for my gracious helper."

"Thanks, Betty!"

"Not a problem."

Last, but certainly not least, Delsin began to unwrap his gift, lifting it up with both hands and examining it. It was a mask, molded and designed into the shape of a rabbit. Inside were two letters that he let drop to the tabletop and began to rip one open and read the contents inside.

**_"Merry Christmas in advance, Delsin Rowe. After it's all over, come find me in the Lantern District at my apartment. We should talk. Also, I hope you like the mask, made it myself." –Celia_**

Delsin widened his eyes a little before setting the note down. _"Celia…? I haven't seen her for at least a week, not after she had shown me the truth about Augustine. I'll take any chance I can get to talk to her again, or chase, I should say…" _ With a deep breath he tore open the other letter and took a moment to read the contents.

**_"Delsin Rowe. It's Cole MacGrath, we should meet. Space Needle, on the 24th, 10:15 AM. Got to discuss the whole Bellevue incident." –Cole _**

_"Oh-ho, yes we do, good sir. I'll be there for sure." _Delsin shook his head for a minute before setting both letters aside and taking another look at the mask, seeing how intricate and beautiful Celia made it with the mass amount of detail. "This is…amazing."

The others stared at the mask alongside with him, not one laughing at how absurd the thing would look on his face.

"Wait…wasn't that the mask that-."

"Celia wore? Yeah. She made it for me…"

"I found it in the mail just today."

"Thank you, Betty. I really appreciate it." Delsin turned to her and smiled softly.

"Welp, eat up, kids, Santa's going to be here tonight and I want you all to be fully rested by tomorrow. Do whatever you want to do today, but don't be out too late."

"Yes, 'mother'." Delsin joked a little, before remembering the previous conversation he had with Abigail. "Wait…Betty; in all seriousness…do you have a photo of them?"

"Photo of whom?"

"My parents…"

The room fell quiet as both Eugene and Abigail both know what happened to them from Betty while Delsin sat there determined.

"I do…if you want to see them."

"Please…please. Also, could you tell me…how they…d-died?"

"In private…come."

With that, both Betty and Delsin proceeded toward the back of the Longhouse while Eugene and the others occupied themselves with his new game.

"As you know your parents died when you were very young, I doubt you even remember their faces…" Betty whispered as they approached her old and used hospital bed.

"Guess what? You're right; I don't remember them at all…"

"I was hoping you'd rather keep it that way…"

"Betty. These are my parents…" He took a hold of her shoulder and stepped in front of her. "I need to know…I do."

Betty sighed as she reached over and across her bed to grab a small picture frame, on it showed the portrait of a young adult male. "This…was your father."

Delsin held the frame in his hands as he immediately noticed the similarities in their facial structures. "Whoa…we look just alike." He laughed quietly before slowly handing the frame back to Betty, who set it back down in its rightful place.

"And my mother?"

"She…didn't have any photos of her; she didn't like cameras much, although your father always insisted they have a group photo together. But she would put out her puppy eyes and he would cave in. She had an amazing smile though, could make your day light up in a second, much like yours. They had that trait in common, I will tell you that. Besides that though…there's really nothing much left to know about that."

"How did they die though…?"

"I would rather we not discuss that today, Delsin…"

Delsin, knowing he was pushing a bit far, nodding his head in agreement and laid back. "Alright…another time unlike this wonderful holiday." They both grinned at each other before taking their walk back to the kitchen where they could see the trio playing Heaven's Hellfire together. A sudden sight caught Delsin's eye at that moment; Emily and Eugene were holding hands for a brief moment and staring at one another before returning to the game. Delsin raised both eyebrows and nodded his head. "That sly bastard…" Another sight occurred as Abigail leaned back behind the two and pointed at them while looking at Delsin, both giving one another a raise of the thumb and a wink.

As he watched Betty begin to wash the dishes, Delsin grabbed both his vest and the newly received rabbit mask and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm going to head out, okay? I got a date with a certain someone who caused a few blackouts a couple nights ago."

"Oh no, it's that horrid man with the electricity isn't it?" She sighed softly before setting the dish she was holding down, letting the hot water run on her hands without a flinch. "Well…alright. Just be careful this time, alright? You know I hate seeing you come back with scars and bruises, you're not Superman, you know."

Delsin laughed quietly before planting a kiss on her forehead and patting her back. "Alright, alright. I love you, don't work too hard. I'll be back." In a flash, Delsin was out the front door, closing it behind him before entering into the truck and making his way back into Seattle for a visit.

* * *

Seattle Center

Pacific Science Center

10:13 AM

Seattle, WA

After spending about an hour or so inspecting antique shops and Christmas lights stands, Delsin scurried his way over to the Science Center and onto the grass which was planted right next to the massive and iconic Space Needle. He repeated pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time and always looked about him every so often before sighing again. "Come on buddy…where are you?"

"Right here…"

Out from within the shadows of the Space Needled appeared Cole, his arms charging with electricity. Delsin spun around to the source of his voice and growled silently, his arms instantly imbued with orange smoke.

"Huh, come to attack me in broad daylight, I see. What a shocker."

"Oh no, I got a better shocker for you than that…" Cole, lowering his arms while discharging his powers, took a few steps forward till they both stood face to face and placed a hand on Delsin's shoulder, a slight grin on his face. "I want to work together with you, Delsin Rowe."

In that moment, Delsin eased himself, letting his smoke disperse into thin air before gulping rather loudly and widening his eyes a tad. "Wow…that _is_ quite a shocker…"

**|| This was suppose to be at Christmas time but I'm late as always. :) **


	12. We Wish You a Merry Shock-Mas (Part 2)

We Wish You a Merry Shock-Mas! (Part 2)

* * *

Seattle Center

Thursday, 10:13 AM

Seattle, WA

"You want to work together…?"

"Yes."

"With me?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"After what just happened in Bellevue? I highly doubt that."

"Look man, I didn't know what came over me that night, all I know is…time has changed…a lot. I've been in hiding for most of the time so I've been able to get a gist of what's been going on here. This…D.U.P. or whatever, they seem tough and you've seem to have already severed most of their forces."

"Right…" Delsin slowly crossed his arms over his chest, leaning part of his weight over on a one leg.

"So…I figured maybe we could work together to finish them off once and for all. And maybe take down BioFrame as well."

"Wait…wait, wait, BioFrame? What's up with BioFrame?"

"They're the ones that made me…like this. Supercharged and everything."

"Yeah, but BioFrame helps Conduits…"

"Do you really think so? After what you've just seen, you still believe they protect and help 'us'?"

Delsin let out a soft sigh, raising a hand up to his forehead and rubbing his temples. "Aw jeez…first the troopers, now you, Celia and a crapton of Conduits coming for my head for Augustine. This Christmas just keeps getting better and better."

"I'm sorry…I am. For hurting that girl of yours that night. I wasn't thinking straight, and for that I'm sorry."

Delsin lowered his hand and glanced back over at him. "Hm…so you really are 'the' Cole MacGrath? I've heard a lot about you…"

"You have…?"

"Yeah…some guy a while back contacted me about you. Zack or something…"

"You mean Zeke, right?" Cole grinned some more, pointing his finger up in remember Zeke instantly. "How is he?"

"He seemed swell…a little on edge about talking about you, but all in all, swell."

"Huh…is he here in Seattle?"

"I don't know. He said he couldn't tell me or meet me."

"Maybe I can find him someplace around here, lord knows, he's probably onto something about aliens abducting me."

"O…kay."

"It's a 'thing' between us."

"Right…gotcha- Anyway, so this alignment of yours…"

"Right, like I said before, I'm sorry and I want to make amends to you and the city, maybe the world needs more than just one hero, right?" Cole scoffed before chuckling softly.

Delsin agreed with a smile of his own. "I guess I'm the hero Seattle deserves, but not the one it needs."

"Oh no, they need you, from what I've seen, they do. They just don't know it yet. They're still skeptical about us, but we'll prove we can co-exist together. So…you want to do this?"

Delsin pondered for a minute or two before taking a step forward and extending an arm out, watching Cole do the same and they shook hands firmly. "Deal, man." They both smiled at one another before breaking the shake.

"Alright, so where can I meet you at...I need to get my bearings around the place."

"Well…um…my Reservation just outside of town that way. You have to cross a broken bridge to get there, then just head straight and you'll be there in no time."

"You're Native American?"

"Akomish, yeah."

"Hm, good to know. I'm already starting to like you, Delsin. So Reservation, broken bridge, straight. Got it. I'll see you there, probably later today." Cole gave a short wave of the hand before turning himself around to leave the scene.

"Alright, awesome…" Delsin muttered, nodding his head with a half-smile. "Alright, good on me, got myself a plus one." He patted himself on the back before taking his own leave to head back to the Reservation to check up on the others.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

11:02 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

Delsin parked the truck just a little ways from the Longhouse in a parking space and hopped out with a soft grunt. Upon closing the door, he spotted what looked to be Eugene sitting on the front steps, his chin in his hands as his eyes gazed up at the bright sunny sky.

"Hey…what's up, my man? You okay…?" Delsin approached the front porch and stood on the steps as Eugene brought his head from his hands to only sigh softly.

"It's nothing, really."

"Come on now, you can tell me anything. You know that, heck, even Betty as well. You two are like best buddies now."

Eugene managed to release a soft chuckle before shaking his head slowly. "You're probably going to laugh at me-."

"Hey. I promise to you, I won't laugh. Cross my heart and hope to-…well, not die." They both snickered before Eugene cleared his throat and sat up a little.

"Well…it's about Emily…I…kind of have…well…feelings for her."

_"I knew it!" _Delsin calmed himself on the inside and cleared his own throat. "Well I mean…have you tried talking to her about it?"

"No! No, of course not. I don't know how to pronounce my words correctly. The only thing I know how to do perfectly is Heaven's Hellfire." He slumped his chin in his hands again as Delsin took a seat next to him.

"Well, I mean it just takes time and patience, maybe she's not ready yet herself. I mean, we did just rescue her and she was beaten and devastated. Hank's nowhere to be found either. I gotta find him…but….maybe that's what you can do!"

"Huh?" Eugene raised an eyebrow while turning his head to him.

"You can find Hank for Emily, with your wingmen. It's a win-win. She gets her father back, you develop confidence and you tell her how you feel."

"Delsin, you know that stuff only works in the movies, right?"

"Right…but real life is like a movie…it's a story and you're the author, every step of the way." He nudged Eugene's shoulder, chuckling softly alongside with him. "Am I right or am I wrong?"

"You're right. You're right. I'll give you that. You are right. Maybe I should try and find him for her, but not for my personal gain, but because he's a person whether we like it or not."

Delsin nodded his head before placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, you know that? You're like the son I never wanted nor did I think I would have."

Eugene laughed at they both got up from the stairs to go to the front door. Opening it one at a time to see Betty, Abigail and Emily all sitting around the table playing a game of 'Yahtzee'.

"Hey, guys. Want to join?" Betty peered over to the two, seeing them both a short nod to the request before sitting down beside her.

"What were you two doing?"

"Oh, we were just having a nice, short, family bonding moment just outside. It's all good now."

"Oh? And what would that pep talk be about?"

"Um…politics?"

"Heh…politics." Abigail snorted before giggling at the two of them.

"It could happen!" Delsin backfired, laughing shortly after, soon the whole table lit up with laughter before they all grabbed a pencil and paper to play the classic board game.

An hour later

"Yahtzee!"

"Dang it!"

"Hehe, sorry- Not sorry."

"Oh yeah, rub it in why don't you? Hurhur." Delsin mocked a laugh before giving a real one afterward. Before long his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and turned the screen on, seeing he had gotten a text from an unknown contact.

_"Oh dear, who's this now?" _As he opened up the message, he skimmed through it, though it was a pretty short message.

**_"What's up, Delsin? It's Cole, I'm right outside the Reservation, about to come in, and I have a shocker for you."_**

_"Oh god, what is it this time? He got drunk and blew out a transformer?"_ As if somewhere, someone heard him, just as soon as that thought processed in his brain, the door to the Longhouse opened, revealing Cole. Just after Cole appeared, he stepped to the side and before them all walked in a man who's build was rather hurly and he was attached with an Elvis Presley looking hairstyle.

"Hey there, Delsin! What's going on?" The men seem enthusiastic to see him and pounded his fist against Cole's, both of them smiling at Delsin.

Delsin could do nothing but widen his eyes a tad and gulp rather loudly in advance. _"Wow…that is quite a shocker…"_


	13. We Wish You a Merry Shock-Mas (Part 3)

We Wish You a Merry Shock-Mas! (Part 3)

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Thursday, 12:02 PM

Salmon Bay, WA

"Delsin…what is Cole doing here?!" Abigail got up from her seat, her arms radiating with Neon, ready to fire a bolt at his face.

"Whoa, whoa!" Delsin stood up immediately and stepped in front of her. "He's okay…he's good."

"What do you mean he's 'good', Delsin?" Eugene protested, standing up on his own, anger soon rising on his face.

"We talked just a while ago at the Science Center and he confessed that he wasn't in his right mind that night at Bellevue. He wants to help us guys, he wants to help us take out the rest of the D.U.P." Delsin stepped back till he was standing beside Cole and placed his arm around his shoulder, soon feeling a sudden jolt and put his arm back down to his side. "Ouch…"

"Sorry about that. Still working out the kinks." Cole chuckled before clearing his throat. "Yes, what Delsin said is correct; I wasn't thinking straight at Bellevue and for that, I owe you all. I want to help you, yes, but I also want to take down BioFrame Diagnostics along with the D.U.P."

"Whoa, whoa, no way." Abigail reacted quickly. "BioFrame helps Conduits!"

"You really think so? Look at what they did to me!"

"Maybe you already looked like that, you roided up battery!"

"Okay! Okay, we get it, we're still working on that part, but for now, our focus is on Augustine and her agents, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Yes."

"Yup."

"Alrighty then! Anybody got any Gatorade or something? This old pig needs some grub!" Zeke interrupted the tense moment to walk past everybody to raid the refrigerator. "Holy shit, you guys got cake in here?! What?! Even I didn't get cake on Christmas- Ooh, soda! Even better!" Zeke yanked the soda out of the side holder and popped it open, taking a swig of it then slamming it down on the counter. "Oh boy, that's good…oh…you guys need some escalators or segways or something. I can't handle this hiking nonsense, whoo!"

Delsin curled his lips in and nodded his head, approaching Zeke and patting his back. "Thank you for the change in the subject."

"Oh yeah, no problem, my man." Zeke took another sip, waving his hand in acknowledgement.

"So uh…you guys want to join us in 'Yahtzee'?" Delsin smiled at both Zeke and Cole before clapping and rubbing his hands in happiness.

30 minutes later

Abigail, Eugene, Emily and Betty tried their best to play the board game but couldn't pry their eyes away from every movement Cole was making. Delsin noticed their tense movements and sighed softly, placing his score down on his sheet of paper then got up from his chair to head outside. The four of them watched him leave then stared at each other as Cole got up soon after to catch him.

"Well…that went a little how I expected it to go…" Cole said quietly as he closed the door behind him.

"They just need some time to adjust; you did almost kill Abby that night." Delsin said as he and Cole both leaned against the wooden posts just beside the door. "Anyway, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Like what?"

"I have a list of Conduits I need to detain to Curdun Cay again…and I got a date with a certain girl- Not that way either and I have Augustine gunning for my head. She's not joking this time, either."

"Wait…the Conduits escaped Curdun Cay?"

"Yeah, all three of us released them. I wasn't thinking straight on that night myself. Some of them are…not very good, shall I say. Augustine's offered a select few of them to bring her my head for an abundance of money and a free pass for life, under the radar and stuff like that."

"I see. Well, it looks to me like you'll need some help. If there's anything that I can remember from my past life before I died, it's that you should accept all the help that's right in front of you, you never know when you'll need it and it's not there. It was Zeke who taught me that."

Delsin nodded his head in agreement. "You're right about that. I'm a little short on friends at the moment."

"What do you mean? You got Abigail in there, Eugene, Betty, Zeke and me. Seems to me, you've got plenty of friends, more than I ever had, that's for sure."

"You got backstabbed too?"

"Plenty of times…it wasn't fun." Cole shook his head, as his past memories returned to his brain.

"I'm sorry man."

"Wait…for what?"

"For being a dick to you that night."

In that moment, they both snickered to a chuckle before clapping their hands together in partnership.

"I'm going to head back inside, see if I can't smooth over my relationship with them."

"Alright, man." Delsin nodded his head again as he watched Cole pat the post before making his way to the door again. He decided to stay there for a few more minutes to enjoy the scenery, sighing to himself before bending his head down and closing his eyes.

"Hello, sweetie."

Delsin jolted his head up in surprise, widening his eyes and shooting his head to the left. Before him appeared the Sisters once again, Lana and Bianca. _"Oh God…not again! No!" _"No-!" His word was cut off as they both grabbed a hold of him at lightning speed, his vision rendering unconscious.

"Delsin…? Delsin?" Cole turned back around from the commotion of noise with a confused look on his face.

* * *

Delsin's Subconscious

48:58 PM

"Wha- Where am I?"

"Welcome home, Delsin."

"Ugh…God, not again…"

"Why, of course. Now to finish you, painfully and brutally."

"Aren't those the same thing?"

"A little…but not by much." The voice seemed to be originating from Bianca as she appeared from the ground by means of Tar, her fingers scratching underneath her chin as she took slow walks toward him.

The room in its entirety was soaked with Tar, the walls, the floor, the objects hanging on the upside down walls, their feet firmly planted on the ceiling as Delsin soon took in his surroundings and got his bearings.

"W-Where am I?" Delsin's voice descended into a growl of desperation as he curled his fingers into tight fists, aiming his bright orange glowing eyes at the source of the voice.

"Why, your own subconscious, Dear. Lana's out for the moment, resting and rebuilding our fair lair. So it's just you…and…me." She pointed one of her long-nailed fingers at Delsin before sneering through her teeth.

"Oh yeah? Well, screw. You." Delsin growled louder, his arms erupting into a freeflow of fire, catching him by surprise.

"Fire, hm? It's getting a little hot in here, mind if I tear out your organs?" Bianca curved a devilish smirk at him before getting ready in a fighting position.

"Over my dead body!" Delsin roared in anger, having enough of the mind games and charged forward in a wave of a fire dash, exceeding the length of his previous smoke dash and formed back to normal, his fiery chain at the ready, gripping it tightly. "Just die!" The chain slashed against Bianca's tar skin, tearing her arm apart by the seams barely.

"Ooh! That really hurt me…not!" Bianca scoffed; raising her arm and watching it form back into place with Tar.

"You're entire body is made of…tar?" Delsin's eyebrow cocked up as he breathed deeply, taking a few steps back, his eyes shifting from her arm to her face.

The room itself began to shake, leading Delsin to stumble forward and backward. Bianca had teleported away in tar, phasing through the ground with a soft chuckle. In that moment the floor below Delsin crumbled and he began falling toward the ground floor, his arms and legs flailing as he waited for the inevitable of hitting the 'real' ground. He groaned loudly as his body smashed with the tile floor, his bones snapping in twenty different places before reforming themselves from his fast-healing.

"Ah…god- Ah!" Delsin braced his ribs with one arm as he picked himself up with the other, his hand forming a fist as he used it as a standing post. "Ugh…! Come on, Del! Get up! It's just your ribs, your back and everything else…"

As he began to catch his breath, Bianca reappeared in front of him, her face containing a bright grin as she ticked her fingernail against her cheek. "My, my, you _are_ a persistent one…"

Delsin shook himself out of his dazed state, his powers recharging automatically and he leapt forward for an attack again, only to be deflected by a blast of tar, sending him sliding across the ground with a groan.

"Try again, you runt. You can't kill me, anyway!" Bianca gave him a reassured cocky smile, placing her hands on her hips as she waited for him to pick himself back up.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that, you tar-sucker!" With another growl, Delsin dashed away in fire, disappearing from her sight, silently reappearing behind her. Unwinding his chain, he wrapped it around her neck and tugged back against her with all of his force. "G-Gah! Come on!"

Bianca grasped the chain around her neck, digging her fingernails into the chain itself as she tried to pull him forward, slowly beginning to gasp for air. "Let go of me, you adolescent child!"

Delsin only responded in a grunt as he lifted a leg up and pressed it against the middle of her back, sneering loudly. In a moment's notice, the chain became imbued with a maximum flame, beginning to rip and tear at her neck. "RAGH!" He roared at the top of his lungs as he arched his head back, feeling the tension begin to slack as Bianca's resistance began to no longer be there.

"De…capi…tation!" Delsin yelled out as he stumbled back, lifting his head up quickly to see that a thick line of molten orange surrounded her neck, causing her head to slowly slick off the rest of her body and fall to the ground, dissolving into a thick mass of tar.

Delsin breathed heavily as he got up on his feet and stood over the tar puddle, flicking his chain back around his wrist. "Spit and exhale…" He sighed heavily as he closed his eyes, re-opening them to find himself back on the porch in the Reservation, lying face down on the ground, feeling a presence hovering over him. He blinked a few times before coughing and flipping himself over, seeing Cole above him, taking in a sigh of relief.

"Finally, you're awake; I thought you were dead, man…" Cole smiled, lending a hand to him, which he grabbed immediately and had Cole haul him up to his feet. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Delsin got his bearings back and took a short stumble back, holding a hand up to his forehead and shaking it quickly. "I uh…let's just say…I cleansed myself from a bad dream…" He sighed as he took a step forward, almost falling to a knee before Cole caught him.

"I got you…let's head inside, you got yourself a story to tell there."

"Heh…I guess."

* * *

15 Minutes Later

"-And then I woke up back here…"

"Jeez, man. Why didn't you tell us?" Eugene sat up in his chair.

"I guess I figured it was my fight, since it was in my head…which actually makes me think a little…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Most of the other encounters took place in their control; this one was legitimately in my head, so maybe…maybe I controlled it. That's why it seemed so easy to me. They're not really gone."

"No way, man. They have to be now, right? I mean…right?"

Abigail nodded her head, along with Emily, Betty, Zeke and Cole.

Delsin could only shrug as he spun a coffee cup around with his fingertips. "Anyway…maybe it's like a break. I sure hope because Christmas is only a day away and I don't want anything-."

A knock came to the door of the Longhouse with Delsin responding to it first, taking his time to get there before turning the handle and opening the door ajar. "Yes?"

"Delsin Rowe? Agent Helena Harper with the D.U.P. I'm here to offer you a request on behalf of Brooke Augustine…" The young brunette took a moment to peer inside, seeing everybody else sitting around the table staring back at her.

"Shocker…" Zeke stated.

"Shocker…" Abigail added.

"Shocker…" Emily came in.

"Shocker…" Eugene chimed in.

"Shocker…" Betty responded.

"Shocker…" Cole said.

"_Shocker_…" Delsin muttered as he inclined his head down and shook at a slow pace. "Merry Christmas to me…"


	14. For My Family

For My Family (Part 1)

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Friday, 2:35 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

A trek back to the Reservation, Delsin appeared on the road leading to the Longhouse in a dash of Smoke, stumbling forward a bit as he caught the landmark in his eyes. "Home sweet home…" He chuckled softly, proceeding forward. In that moment, figures from afar watched with a pair of binoculars, squads of D.U.P. agents accompanied by their co-leader, Agent Harper. She watched Delsin walking toward the Longhouse; a small sinister smirk cropped up on her face as she lowered the binoculars and signaled to her teams.

"We have the charges set?"

The first operative standing beside her nodded his head, holding in his hand a small but functional detonator. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, let's give him a whirl, shall we?" Straightening her face, she shot her head back at the detonator and cocked her head forward.

"Do it."

A click of the button and not an instant second later, a sudden force shook the earth sending the oblivious conduit soaring back and onto the ground with a thud. "Ugh!" His vision became blurry for a couple of seconds, leaving him dumbfounded and disoriented. He shook his head to clear his mind, wiping his eyes of the dust that clouded the surrounding area. "No…!" Delsin sat up from his position, staring ahead of him in major desperation and anguish as he finally came to terms to what just ensued.

The Longhouse had erupted in a fiery blaze of flames.

* * *

Yesterday

_**"Delsin, no, this is stupid." **_

_**"I'll be okay, Abby. I talked to the lady; I just go over to Curdun Cay and test out one of their cage things or whatever then I go home." **_

_**"Haven't you thought of this at all? Augustine leading you to Curdun Cay, sounds like a trap to me. Why would she be so calm about this?"**_

_**"I don't know but they said that Auggie wouldn't be there to see and that they won't leave until I say yes so…I got to go." **_

_**"Then we're coming with you."**_

_**"No, Abby, you're not. They said it can only be me."**_

_**"Damn it, Delsin."**_

_**"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't ask for this."**_

_**"I know. I know."**_

_**"Stay here and take care of the rest of the family, alright? Especially Betty."**_

_**"I will."**_

_**"Promise?"**_

_**"I…promise."**_

* * *

Present Day

During his attempts to haul himself up to his feet, he could hear the cries of agony mixed with deep despair of mothers and children trying to escape the blazing nightmare. The sounds rang in his ears like long fingernails digging into a chalkboard. It pained him so that he pounded his fist against his chest to wake himself up and grunted loudly to get up. "B-Betty, Abigail!" Delsin had gotten up, gripping the side of his head with a wincing pain. He charged the dust and flames of the front door and coughed violently as residents were still rushing out to seek better shelter and safety. "Betty!"

"Delsin?!"

The question rang out with an echo as the source came from the far back of the Longhouse. He hopped over flaming beams of wooden planks and stumps as he desperately tried to reach the back to the pained voice. "Betty, keep talking! I'm here- Argh!" His voice cut off by the endearing pain of a roofing beam landing on his backside, bringing him down to one knee with force. "Ugh!" He groaned to himself as he immediately raised his arms up behind the beam and gripped the top edge with both hands. With heaving breaths, he pushed upwards against it, feeling it creak from the pressure as it was beginning to life up above the ground.

"Get...off!" He grunted loudly as he slipped himself forward, dodging the collapsing debris of flames as the beam now lay on the obscured ground. "Betty!" His eyes could barely make out her incapacitated figure, seeing that her arms were wrapped around something, or someone. Delsin, coughing even more savagely, couldn't stand the smoke and dust fluttering all around and groaned in frustration. With a huff, he threw both his arms out wide, his palms exhaling fumes of smoke as he began to drain the heavy abundance of natural energy. He felt his body become heavy and cumbersome as he bent down to one knee, continuing to drain all of the smoke in the Longhouse. The soft, but harrowing sound effect of the smoke flowing into him subsided in a quick flash, leaving the house almost dead quiet if not for the still raging fires and falling beams from the roof. Seeing Betty much more clearly than before, he dashed in a wave of smoke in front of her, crouching just beside her as he brought a hand forward to lift her head up. "Betty…it's me. I'm here."

Betty, coughing violently under her breath, stared wide eyed at the conduit, her arms wrapped tightly around a blanket, it showing ridges of another person hidden underneath. "D-Delsin…" She whispered hoarsely, gradually unraveling her arms off the blanket to reveal Abigail's face, bruised and scarred to an extent.

"A-Abby…" Delsin exclaimed through fear and happiness, taking her limp body in his own arms as he dropped to both knees, resting her upper body against his chest. "Abby." He spoke, tracing his fingers down her blackened cheek, a sudden hollowing feeling arising in his chest. "Abigail." He raised his voice slightly, speaking directly to her. "Fetch!" He could only stare down at her as she still didn't stir or move from her position. "Fetch, look at me! Look at me!" Delsin clenched his teeth together, feeling his eyes beginning to water from preemptive fear. "Abby, please, you stay with me! You hear me? You stay with me- you're not dead, you're not d-dead. No…no…please!" As he took a deep breath, he eyed over at Betty who had already had tears streaming down her ash ridden face, not even bothering to wipe them from the horror of the entire event taking place. Delsin, blinded by pure desperation, tried to heal her wounds using smoke, remembering how he could heal others in Seattle just by levitating them up in the air. He performed the technique on Abigail, watching her float in the air with thick particles of smoke surrounding her for a few seconds before dropping back down into Delsin's arms, her eyes still closed and her heart no longer beating. "No!" With a tremendous roar, he set down Abby's body on the ground before peering behind him at the blown open pathway out of the Longhouse. "I'm going to make them pay…I'll make them all pay." He muttered roughly before glancing back at Betty. "Where are the others?"

Before Betty could speak up, a gunshot rang out from just outside, the sound of a revolver and the sound of man yelling to someone. "Yeah, that's right! Come on back so I can kick all of your guys' asses!"

It was Zeke, hopping over the broken front entrance to the Longhouse and making his way over to where Delsin and Betty were, beginning to catch his breath after only a short spurt of running. "I…was able to push them back, but not for long."

"Who? Who did you push back?" Delsin stood up and gripped Zeke by the collars of his opened shirt tightly.

"Whoa, whoa- the D.U.P man!"

"Where did they go?"

"T-They're at the Fish Cannery, the kid and Cole are holed up in there, fending off the horde."

"…What about Emily?"

"Who?"

"The other girl, the one Eugene likes, where is she?"

"She's safe; she's in the truck where you left it."

"Good." Delsin released Zeke of his grip and walked past, his hands curled in furious fists.

"What are you going to do, Delsin?"

He stayed silent for a minute, closing his eyes in sincere thought then re-opened them, his pupils colored an illuminating angelic blue. "I'm going to stop Augustine from ever gaining power again…"

Zeke could only nod his head, watching Delsin trigger on his powers and exit out of the Longhouse.

Undefined rage fueled through Delsin's bones, causing him to grip his fists tightly, feeling a vivid sensation flow in him. His powers upgraded, becoming 'unleashed', his Smoke became a burning flame of destruction. Neon, a powerful blaze of light in his opposite hand. Just then, he screamed in pain, falling on all fours while feeling his backbones shift in place. Full span and flapping, Delsin had grown a pair of realistic Angel Video wings, the transformation ripping through his skin and back side clothing. "Ugh!" As he tried to stand up, he fell back down again, feeling an immense weight bear upon him. He glanced down with a surprised look on his face, from his shins downward; they were covered in thick patches of Concrete boots, transferring their strength into the rest of his body to allow fluid movement, along with power. He stomped back up on his feet, gazing over at his Chain, which had disappeared and vanished from his wrist, exchanging it for a sharp, metallic and majestic Angel sword, its speed matched that of the Chain, no longer being a broadsword as before.

"I don't know what I am…but I like it." Delsin grinned to himself as he took a test run swing of the sword, receiving a versatile reward. "Hell yeah…" He muttered, lowering his hand down and redirecting his attention to across the revenue and locking onto the Fish Cannery. "I'm coming for you, Augustine…and your little agent friend!" He grunted in anger, launching himself forward in a rush of Neon, the ground shaking from the intense stomping of his new Concrete shoes.

Keeping guard at the Fish Cannery, Harper and her platoon of agents could see a wide blaze of blue and purple Neon approaching their exact position, sweating dripping down to her brow. She took immediate action and raised her radio to her mouth.

"All units take position and prep for impact!"

Piling out of the D.U.P. APCS all parked next to one another, agent after agent hopped out and took a crouching position in horizontal, single file lines.

"Be ready…" She spoke in a demeaning voice, her rifle crooked into her shoulder blade.

Zooming down the one road leading to the Cannery, Delsin tightened his grip on his sword as his arms flailed back and forth, feeling a slight sense of freedom at the speed he was going. But it wasn't freedom for long, his mind always tracked back to Abigail's body, her bruised face, her messy hair, her non-beating heart. Now it was to avenge her death and Betty's near-death by tracking down Harper and ending her reign of terror under the orders of Augustine.

With the Cannery in sight, he slowed his pace, finding some trouble with his newfound speed and skidded his shoes to a cold hard stop, stumbling forward. "Ugh…"

Harper had Delsin in her aiming sights, her finger twitching against the trigger in mild anticipation. "RPG, on my mark…"

Positioned on top of a shipping container, a demolitions agent sat on one knee, the desired weapon of destruction mounted on top of his shoulder, a lock-on feature placed directly on Delsin's chest.

"Mark."

A sound of the rocket leaving its captor was heard by the army of agents, watching the trail of Smoke lead toward where Delsin stood whose eyes narrowed, trying to catch a glimpse of what exactly was sounded out.

"What…?" The miniscule object came closer in his peripheral vision, revealing itself to him to be a Rocket-Propelled Grenade. "Oh shit-!"

The explosion was massive and brought on a wave of heat to the D.U.P. for Delsin wasn't too far away from his objective.

Harper, grinning single-mindedly, lowered her rifle and sighed with relief. "Such a shame…let's pack it up and find the other Conduits in the Cannery. This hovel is going down." She spoke to the nearest agent beside her, watching his head nod in agreement.

"Harper…!" The voice echoed through the air with intense anger and agony.

"No…" She peered behind her, eyes began to widen. "No goddamn way…" She took a step forward, her fingers so limp, she almost dropped the rifle.

"You're going to have to try harder than that to put me down this time. I'm coming for you, then I'm going for Augustine's plans and then…I'm going to kill her…nice and slow…"

Harper was dumbfounded almost, swallowing her fear away and blinking her eyes rapidly. "You're in way over your head, Rowe! Just give up! You're outnumbered!"

"You took her from me. Now…I'm going to take away your life." He rose up the sword, watching it become ensnared with fire. If one looked with intensity, the pupils in his eyes changed from blue, combing the colors of blood red and sky blue to capture a menacing violet purple.

Harper felt intimidated, the fear that she had just pushed away came spiraling back to hit her square in the face. "I-It's over! Stand down!" Her face became red from the excessive yelling; a few more beads of sweat trailing down her face.

"Uh uh…you're sweating…" Delsin spoke lowly, almost crossing with a raspy voice.

"What…? How did you-?" Harper whispered to herself, fear bottling up inside, almost pouring over the brim.

"Enhanced vision, enhanced hearing…enhanced…everything. This; _This_ is my natural, my normal." The intense rage in Delsin's eyes triggers an illumination in his pupils, glowing brightly for Harper and her squadron to see clearly.

"You've completely lost it…" Harper muttered, shaking her head in awe.

"No…I've finally take control over my life, this isn't about just putting you all under the bus, this is about cold…blooded…purifying…sweet…beautiful…revenge. For Reggie…and for Abby. For that, I will give you one chance to just back off and let me check on Eugene and Cole.

One. Chance."

Harper breathed through the nostrils of her nose, her chest heaving up before lowering back down. She was willing to take a chance, a bluff, no longer willing to be pushed around by this young adult.

"They're dead…"

"What…?" Delsin's eyes widened slowly, the grip on his sword slackening.

Harper smirked, knowing she was gaining back control now. "That's right. You were too late; we already captured and killed them long before you got here. You shouldn't have said no, Delsin and none of this would've happened."

_"Shouldn't have said no…"_

**_"Actually, lady, I change my mind. I don't want to go."_**

**_"What do you mean?"_**

**_"It's just- I can't leave my family alone, not after everything. I'm sorry. I refuse."_**

**_"Mr. Rowe-."_**

**_"Look, I said no. Alright, that's final."_**

**_"I see…"_**

**_"Abby…"_**

**_"Yeah…?"_**

**_"Make sure she packs up her clowns and gets out of here, I'm heading out for some fresh air."_**

**_"You got it- and hey!"_**

**_"What?"_**

**_"I love you, doofus."_**

**_"I love you too, angel."_**

**_..._**

**_"What do we do now, Miss Harper?"_**

**_"Augustine gave us distinct orders, specifying that if Rowe was to deny arrest…we change his life forever. Prep everyone to the Cannery; I have a surprise present with his name on it. Oh, what a holly jolly Christmas…Hehe." _**

_"If I didn't say no…" _

A growl occurred in Delsin's throat as he peered his eyes up toward where Harper was standing.

"If I didn't say no…Abby would've died anyway!"

"I didn't kill her, Rowe. You did!"

Those last two words rung in Delsin's brain like a Church bell going off on a wedding day.

_"You did!"_

_"You did."_

_"You did…"_

_"I did…"_

"I've had enough! Stop it!" Delsin roared out, holding both hands on his sword and hovering the steel blade up against his face, forming a defensive stance.

"Finish him off! I have unfinished Business to attend to…" She patted the shoulder of the agent standing beside her and entered into the Fish Cannery, closing and locking the gate behind her.

"Come on then, you sons of bitches! Show me what you've got!"

"You're an idiot, Rowe; you're no match against us!" A deep voiced D.U.P. took the front lines, wielding a Mini-Gun in both hands. "Remember me?"

Upon seeing an old, familiar, friend from Curdun Cay, Delsin lowered his blade, a short chuckle cropping out.

"Hehe…Heh…oh, now you're just being nasty!" A longer laugh proceeded afterward. "But I guess I am an idiot. Really thinking you halfwit bastards would leave us all alone…but I was wrong…oh-ho-ho- I was so wrong. But now, I have a chance to make, This, Right. All of this, Right."

Taking in a deep breath, Delsin lowered his arms downward, closing his eyes as the blade traced against the center of his torso; bringing it forward with legs crouching down.

"So if it's a fight you want…Then let's fight!" His violet eyes flared in rage as he re-opened them, lunging toward the onslaught of D.U.P. agents.


	15. For My Family (Part 2)

For My Family (Part 2)

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Salmon Bay, WA

Panting escaped Delsin's lips, blood dripping from both hands, gripping the hilt of the angel sword tightly, a moment of absolute pleasure. He enjoyed it, all of it. The metallic taste of his victim's blood in his mouth, the rage still flaring in his eyes as they locked onto the closed off gate, leading to the Fish Cannery warehouse.

"Now that…was a good fight…" He muttered hoarsely, slowly beginning to catch his breath before he stood up straight, flicking the blade in a sharp manner to wipe the blood off of the beautiful steel.

"And now…I'm coming for you, Harper. I hope you prepared…"

A trace of smoke phased through the gate, reforming Delsin, taking slow strides toward the central doors of the Cannery. He dipped the tip of the blade against the charcoal ground, the blade as sharp as it was throwing miniscule sparks into the air.

"Harper, come on out!"

"With, pleasure!"

"Ugh…"

Double doors blasted open, thick wads of dust corrupted the air, and Delsin's back slammed against a pile of stiff boxes from the heavy amount of force applied to the blast. Whirring sounds crept up, then soft stomps.

Loud stomps.

The unidentified object stood before Delsin, looming over him while the dust began to settle.

Harper, placed firmly and securely in a heavy duty D.U.P. Mobile Commander Robotic suit snickered through the loudspeaker in the suit.

"You like?"

"What the hell…?" Delsin groaned to himself, using the sword to help him grip and stand up.

"You can thank Augustine for these, state of the art weaponry against your kind. But wait- That's right. You won't be able to thank her…because you'll be dead under my boot. Only one of us is coming out of this alive, Delsin, and it sure as hell isn't going to be you."

She watched and waited while Delsin held the side of his ribcage, a slight bruise being felt there, his eyes glowed ferociously, eyeing her directly in the suit.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's fight!"

Two roars of anger could be heard from the Cannery.

A clink

A smash

A thud

The blade severed a wide chunk of armor off of the torso, leaving a small piece of Harper's body exposed. Delsin took a leap forward, blade raised behind his back with one hand as he soared closer to the suit.

Taking quick action, Harper curled a metallic fist, cocking the arm back then lurching forward, metal against real steel, leaving both stumbling back with grunts.

Harper stretched her extended arms, clapping them together with excitement.

"That all you got? Let's take it up a notch!" She arched her body forward, lunging upward and leaping backwards, landing on top of the Cannery roof, placed behind her was the mural of Reggie that Delsin had created.

Delsin, breathing in shallow breaths, placed the sword behind his legs, both hands on the hilt, a smirk on his face.

"Let's go, Augustine's bitch!" He grunted shortly, dashing quickly into an air vent with Smoke and shooting out the top, taking time out of his clash to perform a spin through the air then landed on both feet with ease.

The two rivals stared at one another, each trying to anticipate the others movements as they were standing on each end of the roof. Thunder boomed in the 2AM sky, followed by droplets of rain, then a downpour. Seattle was always known for its abundance of rain, but Salmon Bay rarely got even an inch or more, this was something else.

Harper took the first move, reached her arms toward one of the steel structures holding up the mural of Reggie to pry it out from its 'roots'. Delsin, distraught and overly worried, took immediate action, dashing to her in a wave of Neon, reaching the end in a matter of seconds.

"Hands…off!" With a roar, he triggered a Photon Jump, scrunching both legs in and snapping them forward, drop kicking Harper away from the mural stand.

Thunder and lightning mixed in the skies above, catching Delsin's attention for only a minute or so. A strike of a pure lightning bolt hit the metal gate of the Cannery, frying the upper half in a split-second.

Just then, Delsin redirected his attention back to Harper, who was ready to take a cheap shot at his face, dodging the flying punch with Neon and rounding behind her, calling her attention with the clanking of his sword.

He had dropped it on the roof, waiting until she was fully turned around before launching his next move.

A Neon uppercut to the torso, happening just as a crack of lightning sounded out.

Right hook.

Low Smoke left hook.

Another crack of lightning accompanied with a leaping forward punch of Neon to the face. Each punch afterward landing with the aid of a lightning strike, contacting with various objects and areas surrounding the Cannery.

Gripping his fists tightly, his knuckles white, Delsin charged both powers simultaneously, pulling his body back, his feet firmly planted on the ground, waiting for Harper to take a chance to hit him.

She performed exactly as he anticipated, waiting for her punch to follow through.

A curled metal fist hurtled at him, not once making him flinch or cower.

"…Yah!"

A deflection, a double uppercut stunning Harper as Delsin aimed both arms downward now that he was above her, cocking them back then launching down, tackling her through the roof. A final lightning strike hitting right where they last appeared.

* * *

Akomish Fish Cannery

3:15 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

Delsin and Harper broke through the roof of the Cannery, falling inside, Conduit on top of machine. Harper did quick thinking and tossed Delsin off of her, hearing him grunt and groan as he rolled onto the floor.

"Wow…okay that hurt…oh man…"

He rapidly shook his head, patting his hand against the ground floor a few times before widening his eyes slightly. "Damn it…" He remembered that he dropped his sword on the roof of the Cannery and pounded his fist against the floor before hopping up onto his feet.

"Delsin?"

"Whoa- wait- Eugene?"

He turned his head to his younger conduit friend, seeing his body encased in Concrete, only his head free of any entrapment.

"You gotta go, man! That D.U.P. lady's here!"

"Might be a little too late for that." He directed Eugene's attention to Harper with a nonchalant point of the finger.

"Oh…shit…"

"Yeah, where's Cole?"

"He's in the other room, trapped as well. You're going to have to take her out before you free us though."

"I was planning on just killing her…"

"That's not right, Delsin. We don't kill."

"She killed Abigail! I'm getting back for her and for Reggie!" Delsin gritted through his teeth, glaring at Eugene with wide, wild violet eyes.

"Abby's dead?! Delsin! Listen to me! If you kill Harper, you are _no_ better than her or Augustine! You know that!" Eugene was too distraught at Delsin's sudden morality change to even acknowledge the dramatic and menacing changes to his body. "Please! Don't do this!"

"I don't care! She's getting what she deserves, right now!" Ending their conversation short, he dashed away from Eugene, smashing the side of his shoulder into the center of Harper's suit, which had just stood up after catching her breath and healing up.

"Die!"

"Delsin!"

They broke on through the wooden wall Harper was standing in front of, Delsin taking advantage of the momentum and continued dashing forward in Neon, screaming in rage.

Twice in a row, he blasted her through the walls, hitting the final wall and feeling a rush of cold, wet wind hit his face. Outside once again, Delsin body slammed Harper onto the wooded pier, creating a dent in the thick wood. Harper groaned in the pain, unable to make a move as Delsin relentlessly began punching at the head glass, the only thing stopping him from reaching her.

Neon.

Smoke.

Neon.

Smoke.

Punch after punch of both powers gave Harper a sense of fear, seeing his eyes blaring up, the immense strength of each punch he was pulling without ever letting up. It made her genuinely afraid.

He was going to kill her.

"Come on out, Harper! Now!"

The glass spread further throughout the protective helmet, Harper gritted her teeth in fear of him actually succeeded and reaching out for her, only he stopped. Stopped punching, staring directly in her eyes through the glass, the eyes of a killer flaring within him. She watched him take a small glance behind him then look back to grab a hold of the suit's torso, using every ounce of his strength to gradually lift it out of the small crater and hold it up with its legs dangling helplessly in the air.

"You're done." The only words he spat out, the rest of the scene was a blur to Harper. First, wind rushing past her face as the helmet was nearly all the way broken, then glass shattering into a thousand pieces. A sharp, agonizing pain flowing through her, causing her to scream and elevate her sense of fear once realizing what had just then happened:

A shard of glass plummeted straight into the pupil of her left eye.

Delsin had smashed the helmet of the suit against one of the stuck up wooden poles holding the pier together with utter rage, not knowing he was going to hurt her that harshly. Something tugged against him inside of his body, ceasing his endless anger and need for vengeance, at least from Harper, who should deserve death, but he knew better of himself, of his morality.

His overridden body gradually reduced back to normal, his powers reverting to their natural state along with his physical wings shrinking back into his skin. He breathed heavily, taking in his surroundings with slight confusion before immediately rushing towards Harper, taking a hold of her dangling arms and slipping her out of the suit, holding her in his arms.

"Harper…?"

The only sound audible from her lips were quiet whimpers as Delsin widened his eyes at the damage he had caused, her eye completely ruined and disabled, the bloodied shard hanging limply on her useless eyelid.

"My god…did I-?"

"It's…okay."

"What?"

"It's okay…I'm sorry…about Walker."

Abigail's death came hurtling back into Delsin's mind as though an angry rhino trampled throughout his brain.

"Abby…-."

"Delsin!"

"Huh?"

It was Betty, calling his name from across the pier on the main road leading to the Longhouse.

He could only stare at her for a mere second before gazing back down at Harper, the way she hugged her hands against his denim vest, similar to an infant child after just being conceived. He was torn against her fate, whether it was worth almost killing another after declaring his morality to the entire city of Seattle. He wasn't a True Hero, not anymore, he was a murderer.

Harper felt the cold ground of the wet road on her back as she briefly watched Delsin set her down and sprint away in a puff of Smoke, entering back inside of the Fish Cannery where they had crashed through.

"Huh…? Who's there?" Eugene spoke up after jolting his head up from hearing the clinking of glass being stepped on.

"Delsin…?"

Seconds passed of nothing, quietness roamed through the room, only then was the soft sound of Smoke heard then Concrete breaking apart, one in the room where Eugene was and another in a separate room halfway across.

"Delsin."

Eugene walked toward the source of the other noise, only to find Cole appear out of the shadows, glancing behind him every now and then.

"Cole, w-what happened?"

He could only shrug his shoulders as they stood by one another.

"I…don't know."

"Was Delsin in there?"

"…No."

"Then…who rescued us?"

Carrying Harper inside of the Longhouse for safety, Betty grunted rather loudly as she laid her down on the couch in the middle of the room, breathing harshly to catch her breath.

"T-thank you…"

Betty was ready to contradict her, yell at her for what she did to Abigail but only stopped due to seeing her wounded and destroyed eye.

"W-Who…did this to you?"

"I had it coming…I deserved it."

"Was it Delsin…?" Betty asked, a worried tone soon cropping up in her voice.

Harper took a moment to produce an answer, swallowing quietly before turning her head to stare at Betty.

"N-no…" She shook her head slightly, weakened to a major extent and coughed roughly.

"Well- w-where did he go?"

"I don't know…I don't remember." Harper lied, turning away to lock on to the soft texture of the couch, leaving Betty with a troubled and confused mind.

A streak of lightning struck against the main road as the rain showered harder.

* * *

Rainer District

4:04 AM

Seattle, WA

Knock.

Knock. Knock.

A soft moan arose from the room the door was knocked upon, a woman slipped out of her bed, rubbing her eyelids carefully. Her bed attire consisting of a black jacket over a white buttoned shirt with red tie over the front, a red flannel skirt, black leggings and a pair of black and white sneakers. Not exactly sure as to whom it was, the woman reached over to her nightstand and grabbed hold of a handcrafted, distinct Rabbit mask and placed it over her face before approaching to the door, taking a moment to hear if the person was still there.

Knock. Knock.

With a short breath, she unlocked the handle and turned it, opening the door halfway, greeted instantly by a shower of intense rain that Seattle was famously known for and by a tall figure, his face rendered incognito by his own handcrafted Rabbit mask.

"Delsin…" She whispered, half-excited, half-surprised to see him here this early in the morning.

"I…I had nowhere else to go, so I came…h-here. I'm sorry."

She could hear the brokenness in his voice and stood there, admiring his drenched clothing before quickly rushing him inside to take shelter from the never-ending downpour.

* * *

**Thank you all again for checking it out and I hope to see you all soon. **


	16. The Returned

The Returned

* * *

Celia's Apartment

Seattle, WA

6:35 AM

The apartment stood in a desolate state, only the sounds of soft raindrops pattering against the windows outside. The weather had lessened a little more than it had over two hours ago, but still posed a small threat and valid reason to stay indoors.

Inside of the apartment, Delsin slept soundly, his body laid out on Celia's only couch while she proceeded back to sleep on her main bed, her head occasionally gazing up and back to make sure Delsin was still where he was. There he slept, in the flesh, in her own apartment room, rabbit mask and all, it always a brought a smile to her Vietnamese-American face whenever she took the moment to stare helplessly at him. She had almost wished she was in her twenties by now; he was quite attractive for a small-town delinquent and always piqued her interest whenever he showed off his fancy superpowers around the town.

She wanted to have a conversation with him, specifically as to why he had come to her home when he had Salmon Bay to resort to. She didn't mind it one bit, but still felt rather curious to know.

"…Delsin?" She asked, her voice the same moderately high pitch it always had been.

Delsin, looking to be asleep due to the mask covering his eyes, was actually awake the entire time. He couldn't sleep. He wouldn't sleep. Not after the chaotic events that had occurred roughly hours ago. His ears found their way to Celia's calm, questioning voice and he perked his head up, wrapping his arms comfortably underneath the back of his head.

"Yes...?"

Celia almost froze from his instantaneous response, one hand gripping the sheets tightly before immediately relaxing under relief. "…Why exactly did you come here…when you have Salmon Bay to stay at? N-Not that I don't mind you being here- It's just a curious question- That's all…" She swallowed harshly, her big, brown eyes blinking warily in his general vicinity.

Delsin had taken the question into thought himself, why had he traveled all the way from Salmon Bay to Seattle to her apartment? He knew the answer right away, but also questioned himself in his mind. Couldn't he have approached Betty? Told her everything that had happened, the truth and nothing but the truth; to Eugene, to Cole, to Zeke, Emily and the entirety of the Reservation? About how Abby died in his arms after Agent Harper devastated the Longhouse, leaving her bruised and scarred to an extent where not even Delsin's power-healing could work this time around? Or about how he lost it and transformed into something that wasn't even remotely normal, even for Conduit standards; how he sliced and ripped apart his D.U.P. victims in two, the blood trickling down his chin in pleasure and happiness?

These were the questions he played and asked over and over in his head in that finite time span he had to answer the question before Celia decided to call his name again.

"It's a long story…" He began, breathing in broken measures; the image of Abby lying there in his hands burned into his retinas for only the Lord knows how long, the thought of him never being able to truly confess his love and compassion to that outgoing, purple-haired beauty tore him apart in asunder. Tears formed in his eyes as he blinked repeatedly under the mask, trying his best to keep them at bay but couldn't resist any longer and sniffed loudly, immediately turning him away from Celia. "I'm sorry..."

He had begun to cry, his body twitching from his inability to retaliate against the bodily functions. His mind was broken, his self-control lost, he had lost not one- but two people who brought the best out of him the most. A brother he mocked and ignored until that fateful day, the day in which he wished it had been him who had fallen into the icy waters of Puget Sound and now, mere hours ago, the girl he never thought much other than a fighting, recovering junkie was now the love of his life after Augustine's first defeat. They never even managed to succeed in a first full kiss, the first becoming interrupted by Cole's return arrival. He couldn't pin the blame on him though, he was confused, distraught, the world had moved on to him now, Delsin Rowe, twenty-four year old screw-up who gets his loved ones killed by always joking and never taking anything seriously 'till he's lost everything.

He degenerated himself, downgraded from being what the public called a 'True Hero' to nothing more than a mere murderer, a thug, a criminal…a 'Bio-Terrorist'.

Celia couldn't help but feel her heart crack in two for this troubled young man who only days ago brought a world of life and meaning to a city being controlled and operated by power and corruption. He was free, they were free, and she was free all thanks to him and his gang of friends and allies. She couldn't thank them enough, but now she couldn't as two have departed from this world and one never even witnessing the dawn of this new age.

"Delsin…I-…I'm so sorry. I never should've asked you that…I just- I'm stupid-."

"No, no." Delsin quickly got a grip on himself, swiftly raising the mask above his eyes to wipe them clean then bringing it back down. "It's okay Celia, I prom- I'm sure of it…"

Promise, a word he could never use again, he couldn't promise anything to this young girl other than a world of pain and suffering from yours truly.

**_A promise kept…_**

Oh, how those words struck into his heart with every spoken syllable similar to drugs, Abigail's drugs.

Celia wanted to say another word, 'Okay' or something close to that but couldn't, only nodding her head in shame and lying back down on her bed mattress, her eyes gazing up at the ceiling with despair.

Delsin blinked, breathing shallowly, his head gradually coming back down to the soft pillow that Celia had provided for him when he had arrived unexpectedly.

Then, in that moment of quietness, depression and fear, his phone, lying on the table top just a few feet away from both him and Celia, began to ring, causing both Conduits to sit up with a jolt.

Delsin took the lead, standing up from the couch to reach over for it, cautiously turning the screen over to find Eugene's name appearing on the incoming call message. He sighed to himself, cursing himself in his mind to do it, instinctively pressing his thumb against the send button and raising the speaker up to his ear.

"Hey, Delsin…"

"Eugene…"

"Um…"

"What is it…?"

"I just- I…think you need to come back here and see for yourself, now."

In that frozen split-second of time, Delsin raised his head up, exhaling softly through his nostrils. Should he lie to his best friend, saying he'll be there but become too big of a coward to even show, or would he take this chance, a chance to reveal himself again upon his loved ones, even after what happened at the Cannery?

Awaiting a response, Eugene bit the bottom of his lip anxiously, his eyes shifting around the Longhouse with anticipation.

"…I'll be there…"

Eugene let out a sigh of relief, smiling to himself before nodding his head. "Alright…see you here…" His voice instantly dipped back down before the call dropped, leaving Delsin to reflect on his decision before turning to Celia, who sat up and watched the conversation with anxiousness.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

7:01 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

"You really didn't have to tag along, Celia…"

"I know, but I think it's time for me to meet your family and clan."

"Clan…? Heh, alright, come on."

Upon appearing on the main road trailing up to the Longhouse, the two Conduits stumbled forward from their power dashes, walking slowly towards the all-too familiar locale. Up ahead, they both spotted Eugene, leaning against one of the damaged Longhouse posts, his arms in his jacket pockets and his hood cropped over his head as usual.

"Eugene…" Delsin muttered lowly, reaching the top steps with Celia at his side, his eyes portraying the mixture of suffering, rage and regret. Regret for possibly luring danger once again to his home, his tribe, his family and now possibly a young Conduit.

"Delsin, hey. H-How are you?" Eugene was quick to push off of the post and step before him, worriment filling up in his expression.

"…I've been better." Delsin practically shrugged the question off, gazing his vision off into the interior of the Longhouse. "So, what's the news?" He wasn't ready to jump to conclusions any time soon, keep his anticipation to a minimal low.

"Come on…" Eugene gestured for both to follow, leading Delsin and Celia to glance at one another before carefully guiding their way in, cautious not to trip on anything inside.

On the very far end side of the Longhouse in the right hand corner stood a crowd of residents, including Betty, all clamoring about talking to one another in low mutters before Nick, Delsin's longtime friend spotted him and piped down the obnoxious comments.

"Del…we're glad you're here…" Nick greeted him, passing on a handshake before allowing him entry through the crowd, silently gesturing all to provide space for him.

Delsin wasn't sure what lay ahead of him once his eyes got past the last oncoming resident, it was a hospital bed, the same used on Betty only a few weeks ago, he spotted bare legs shifting about in unison then the feminine groans of a woman. Second by millisecond, his eyes trailed upwards, anxiety revving up in every molecule of his body, heart rate off the charts.

Then, nothing; silence loomed through his body as his eyes laid contact on the figure, his mind instantaneously conjuring up a memory, a memory from the present, a memory he would cherish forever: Streaks of purple hair flowing across the woman's fatigued eyes, only for them to open up with happiness and relief.

"Hi, Delsin…"

Delsin, distraught to the core, gasped in short, rigid breaths as he neared toward Abby, his hand rising up to reach out for her face.

"Are you real…?" His pupils dilated from the miniscule shock he received from the sudden appearance of her, his fingers rubbing against her bruised cheek with exuberant happiness.

"I'm as real as I can be, D…" She croaked, coughing harshly, clearing her throat immediately afterward, her lips forming into a warm grin from his touch.

"I thought I lost you in the explosion…Harper-."

"S-She's okay, her eye is being repaired at the Seattle Grace Hospital; Betty's covering the funds for it. I'm on life support basically; it'll be awhile before my Neon-healing kicks in…" Delsin internally didn't want her to speak, save her breath and her words for another time, but was overall glad to hear that Harper was still alive and being treated well by professionals.

"I'm just so glad that you're alive." Delsin began to choke up on his non-existent tears, chuckling while bringing his forehead down to hers and resting it there, his eyes closing shut for mere minutes.

It was only those minutes later that Abby swallowed quietly, blinking her eyes up at his up close pupils. "We're both glad you're alive too…" She whispered softly, feeling the edges of her lips gradually brush against his.

Delsin wasn't prepared to let this moment slip by in hesitation; he lunged for his desire to cement their relationship as a whole, pressing his lips unto hers with an immense passion.

Abigail's pulse lurched in fear and anxiety, speeding up immediately upon contact, the feel of his lips on hers was engaging to say the least, almost intoxicating. She gradually shut her eyes from sight, raising her right arm from underneath her cover to wrap around his backside, pulling him closer for a deeper experience.

Delsin could almost feel his heart pound against his chest in shock and nervousness. Him, this twenty-four delinquent who's faced countless times of near death-defying stunts is stunned and albeit afraid of this outcome. What would she think when he's told her how he slaughter a platoon of D.U.P. agents and was graciously excited and thrilled about it? Or how he purposely smashed Harper's face into a wooden pier post, sending a shard of glass into one of her eyes? His soul couldn't be cut into two though his thoughts and worries were swept away as a heavy sensation flowed between the lips of the two lovers. Thick strands and waves of Neon fluttered from Delsin's body and arms, travelling its way from the corners of his pressed lips to the tips of his fingers over to Abigail's body, which began to absorb the energy into her own mass whilst still holding the tender kiss.

But all good moments must dwell to a close and both Conduits parted themselves, both taking in short breaths before staring directly at one another, the Neon energy dwindling down to nothingness in a short amount of time.

Abigail swallowed half-heartedly, blinking her eyes before cracking a soft smile Delsin's way. "…I enjoyed that." She lowered her wrapping her back down to the side of her bed and cowered into the covers once more before she sat up, tilting her head his way slightly. "I haven't had a tender moment such as that for…a really long time." She shook her head, grinning immensely at the sudden embarrassment she brought upon herself, shifting her eyes around in various directions till they found their way back to his. "I love you, Delsin."

Delsin, on his end, felt a sense of reward and overwhelming anxiety but kept it all buried and calmed down by his stoic demeanor, which didn't last long as he chuckled softly to her embarrassment comment she put out there. The chuckle only last a few mere moments before the stinger kicked in: 'I love you'. Those three memorable, golden, valuable words that every man or woman craves to hear from their mate. This of course wasn't the first time he had heard Abigail confess her feelings to him, neither was it for him as it was on the fateful night he had met Cole for the first time, the way they almost connected lips before their attention was drawn to the city they promised themselves to uphold and protect.

"I love you too." He spoke softly, nodding his head in a rhythmic manner before arching forward and planting a small smooch on her cheek, leading her to giggle quietly.

"Hey! That little Neon surge kiss kind of helped, I feel a tiny bit more energized than not as sleepy much." She chuckled, holding both of her hands in front of her eyes and twirling them around, back and forth.

"So, kissing helps…?" Delsin could feel his emotions and inner soul returning back to their former glory, the humorous side of things despite it having some major downsides. A big, old slap-faced grin appeared on his mouth, leading Abigail to glare up him, a side smirk cropping up.

"Oh please, don't think you'd enjoy it any other way, 'Smokes'. But, to answer your question…perhaps. We may need to run more tests, just to be sure." The smirk grew.

"Yeah…?" He lurched closer to his lover, leaning over her bed, his hands on either side of her half-covered body as they connected foreheads together.

"Yeah…" She whispered, giggling before closing her eyes, arching her head up and wrapping her lips over his, each fighting for control as the Neon surge triggered between the two.

As the scene progressed on, the residents of the Reservation couldn't help but smile on their own about their reunion. Just outside of the crowd, Celia watched from the sidelines, seeing the Conduits crash lips. She was both excited and happy at their excelling relationship status but couldn't go on without feeling a slight sting of jealously and loneliness swelling up in her chest. She gripped her fists to control herself and let out a distinguished breath, taking her exit out of the Longhouse to receive some fresh air for her pained lungs.

Once outside yet again, she inhaled through her nostrils, her rabbit mask lying safely and neatly on top of her head as she gazed out to her left at the beautiful rising sun, how she never exactly took the time out of her days to admire just how beautiful both Seattle and Salmon Bay could get at the perfect moment.

Though that perfect moment was almost withered away when confronted by a local policeman, who had just driven up to the Longhouse as silent as a lamb. The touch on her shoulder brought a sense of shock to her bones and she instantly turned around, gasping loudly, only to silence herself and pardon her outrageous behavior. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I've just been…jumpy lately."

The Reservation officer, obviously a Native American, gestured a hand out, shaking his head in the process. "No, no, I should've spoken out, pardon me instead. Um, listen…is Delsin inside?" The officer's voice was quite low for what seemed to present a relatively happy facial structure.

Celia nodded her head, blinking rapidly. "Y-yeah, he is. But he's with a friend right now, she was badly injured."

"Yeah, I heard about that. I came here to send my regards. Is she doing better?"

"Yup! She's almost good as new, basically."

"Ah, good…that's good." His voice became solemn, worrying Celia on the inside.

"…Is everything okay, officer?"

"Um…do you mind sending him a message for me? Tell him, to meet me at the Seattle Grace Hospital as soon as he can."

"Not at all, I'll send it to him right away."

"Thank you very much, young lady." The officer nodded his head in goodbye to Celia, turning around to return to his car, only Celia stopped him for a quick and last question.

"Wait…! Is there someone at the hospital he knows?" She quirked both eyebrows up with curiosity, watching the officer turn back around halfway, almost letting off a short sigh.

"…His brother, Reginald Rowe…we found him. He's alive."

Both persons stared at one another before the officer took his leave, leaving Celia to bask in her disbelief, her eyes as wide as golf balls.

"W-what…?"


	17. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Salmon Bay, WA

7:30 AM

"Reggie…alive? But- how?" Celia repeated this one question in her head for God knows how long before she brought her attention back to the inside of the Longhouse where Delsin was helping Abigail take her first steps since the horrible incident, taking light baby steps once she set down. It was as if watching Neil Armstrong exit out of the space shuttle and take that one small step for man in Celia's mind.

First step.

The second step.

A pause and a short stumble though caught in Delsin's arms.

A third step before she felt confident to try on her own.

She could do it.

A short, stuttering fourth step.

"You can do it…" Celia pounded in her thoughts, gripping her fists tightly from the tension and anticipation.

A fifth complete step before hugging against the Longhouse walls for balance.

"Hey, I think I got it…-Whoa!" Abigail had lurched forward, digging her nails into the wall to keep from falling flat on her face. "-Maybe a little bit more practice will do me some good. Heh."

Nick, Delsin, Betty and a few other residents including Celia all smiled and clapped their hands at the sight of Abigail being able to walk on her own for a short spurt in time. But time was dwindling for a deceased man now resurrected upon the world once more and Celia had to tell Delsin, now.

"Um…Delsin?" Celia entered back into the Longhouse, taking cautious, mixed with nervous steps toward the conduit, which peeled his attention off of Abigail to eye her.

"What's up?" He stared downwards a little at her, a small half-grin on his lips.

"…You look better." She noticed immediately, he never made a grin or smile when over at her apartment.

"A little bit, yeah. I'm just glad Abigail's still alive after all of this…so um…what's up? What did you need?"

Celia pondered hysterically in her mind, her heart beating as if it was kickstarting a thousand beats per minute. There were only two ways this would conclude, she knew that but chose to go with what her gut screeched out and clenched one of concealed hands behind her back.

"A-a police officer just arrived in front of the Longhouse j-just now." She breathed in short gasps, tears of fear broiling up in her eyelids.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa- calm down, calm down. Take a deep breath.

In.

Out.

In.

Out, okay?"

Celia followed his calming, almost demanding advice.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

She felt her heart rate beginning to slow its tremendous headstart.

"Okay…he arrived and- and- he said that-." She cursed herself screaming inside of her head, just tell him were the words that sounded deep inside. "-R-Reggie's still alive…!" This came out in a harsh whisper, she at least had the audacity to keep her voice quiet so as not to alert the others and possibly blow the entire Reservation into a full bore panic of questions and excitement but the look on Delsin's face said it all. Disbelief, a slight gasp, the blinking of the eyes. She knew it, either he would hate her or reject her.

Delsin stared at her, that's all he could do is just stare at her. He didn't know what to think, how to process this information now entering inside of his skull via his eardrums. He took a small step close to Celia, a finger rising to point at her. "My brother…" He began, blinking rapidly with an inhale of his nose. "...Died at Augustine's concrete base- I held him by the arm as he begged for me to let go so as not to become encased in her monstrous traps as well. He forced me to let go and I screamed for him…"

**_"Reggie, don't-."_**

**_"I love you, brother."_**

**_"AHHHHH-NOOOO!"_**

"…And now you're here telling me that he's alive after plunging into Puget Sound?" Celia could see the anger rising in his eyes, the tension of his pointing finger, the nearing steps he was taking towards her shriveled, fearful body. This was a very different Delsin from only mere moments ago, this was a Delsin to be afraid of and for the first time, Celia was scared of him. Out of all of the cheerful scenes of him flying, dashing and soaring across Seattle with a smile on his face, a chuckle soon afterwards or chasing her around Seattle, solving her little poems and riddles- _this_ scared her to a certain degree, causing her to left out a sudden whimper of fear.

Hearing this ever frightful whimper stopped Delsin's movements almost instantly, his eyes widening from realization. He had scared Celia, the girl who openly accepted to bring him in when he could've just solved everything the previous night was now scared of him due to his fiery rage of a sudden mention of his brother. In honesty, he should be happy to hear this, eager to see if what Celia said was true, but could find anger in Reggie's name now and the sudden appearance of Augustine's face, the cold stare she gave him as he crawled back up to land. It burned into his retinas once again and he wasn't enjoying it one bit.

Delsin blinked once more, taking a short step back from Celia, leveling her off to ease and relax. He inhaled and exhaled softly, sighing afterwards in a rush. "…Take me to him. Now…" He glared down at her, his mind only registering one objective: Find and confirm Reggie's return. No Augustine, Harper, Cole or even Abigail to his dismay, Reggie was the only one that matter at the moment.

Celia was quick to obey, nodding her head rapidly and turning her around to exit out of the Longhouse, Delsin immediately in tow to use their powers and make their way to the Seattle Grace Hospital. Unbeknownst to the duo, Abigail caught wind of their departure with the corner of her eyes, sensing a problem was stirring between the two, could only exhale patiently, hoping her love was okay.

* * *

Seattle Grace Hospital

8:02 AM

Seattle, WA

"Here we are." Celia stated; her voice distorted from the usage of Paper, landing softly on her feet with Delsin grunting lowly on his landing of Neon.

"Let's go." He was quick to move, phasing out of Neon while ascending the steps to the front entrance of the hospital in haste to see his older brother once more.

Both stepping outside, Celia immediately caught sight of the Reservation officer she had met recently, calling out to him to signal that Delsin had arrived, leading the officer to stand up from his waiting chair to greet them.

"Hey, Delsin…-."

"Where is he?" Delsin stepped in front of him, impatience creeping into his body in steady flows as he eyed the officer.

"H-He's in his recovery room, a couple of my guys found him washed up on the edge of the Puget Sound shore, skin pale, eyes bloodshot, etc." The officer named off these subjects as he led Delsin and Celia to where Reggie was holed up, gesturing with his arms every now and again, occasionally glancing back at the two. "As you know, we can't just warm him up right away; we must keep him at sub-zero temperatures then gradually make our way up…and- here we are." The officer approached to the designated door, moving to the side and opening the door slowly for Delsin's entry. "I wish you best of luck, Del. He's awake…barely." The officer's voice crept down low in almost an instant, lowering his head as Delsin nodded and proceeded to head on inside, his heart beat speeding up every second of the intense moment.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

…

A sudden stop of his heart brought upon a gasp, his eyes laying confirmation on the lying figure in the hospital bed, hooked up to numerous wires, bandages wrapped on various body parts, even spotting a shard of concrete or two in the arms.

"…R-Reggie?" Delsin muttered softly, taking cautious steps, a saddened, distraught look upon his face. He couldn't believe his eyes or the picture painted before him as sure enough Reggie heard his whisper and gradually turned his head to face his younger brother, instantly widening his eyes and tried his damndest to sit up.

"Delsin…?"

Both brothers stared deep at one another with Delsin approaching the side of the bed, grasping a hold of one of Reggie's hands and gripping it tightly, his eyes quivering from the sudden formation of tears about to streak down his cheeks. "H-Hey…" The word came out in broken chords, leading him to clear his throat and blink a few times before taking a seat on the edge.

"You've changed…" Reggie croaked out, eyes noticing Delsin's pure white jacket and cleanliness of his bodily hygiene.

"Yeah- I- I changed in some ways, some good…some b-bad, but nonetheless- changed." He allowed his eyes to let loose the tears, nodding his head in acknowledgement to the conversation. "I just- Can't believe you're alive and here right now in front of me. I just-."

"I know-." Reggie coughed harshly, clearing his throat with gags and more coughs before slumping down into his bed. "-It's been hell where I've been."

"How did you even get out? I destroyed the island…" Delsin shook his head in still disbelief, eager to hear his side of the story.

"When you destroyed the island, I was nearly crushed to death by the fallen debris- but- Thankfully the concrete cocoon saved me, but couldn't save me from losing oxygen and going into unconsciousness after trying to swim to the surface a few desperate times. The force was too much, knocked the wind out of me. I should be dead-."

"-I thought you were dead!" Delsin exclaimed in a moderately-loud voice, more tears dripping down the sides of his face.

"I know-. But, sooner or later- not sure- someone found me, my precinct and hospitalized me, and then out of nowhere, I'm up again. Alive, reborn, undead, whatever you want to call it."

"I'm just glad man." Delsin shook his brothers hand nonchalantly, both smiling at one another before Reggie cleared his throat, almost emitting a gagging sound.

"It'll probably be a while before I get out, you know?"

"Yeah- probably." He chuckled softly, slipping his fingers away from his brother's hands and resting them gently on his abdomen. "I'll tell everyone that you're alive and well, man."

"Thank you Delsin- and hey." He reached out for Delsin's forearm as he was beginning to get up and leave, straining himself a tad and coughed once again. "…I'm still proud of you. Maybe someday, you could reconsider that deputizing?" He joked but in Delsin's mind, he took it seriously, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, stripping away his powers and becoming an officer of the law, or maybe even keep them and offer the upper hand against drug dealers and other low-life criminals.

"That actually wouldn't be such a bad idea after all, brother." Delsin nodded his head slowly, feeling Reggie allow freedom of his arm, his eyes staring directly into his for a couple of seconds. With that, Delsin took his leave, waving a short goodbye and making his way out the door where Celia and the officer were watching, smiles on both their faces.

"Are you okay?" Celia asked immediately, pressing her index fingers together and biting her bottom lip in anxiousness.

Delsin shut the door behind him, eyes making their way to the young adult woman, not a movement arising from his end before suddenly he approached her, wrapping his arms around her to pull into a tight hug, leading Celia to gasp slightly then quickly ease herself off.

"Thank you…" He whispered with his eyes shut tightly during the long-holding hug before they departed and re-opened them. "I'm sorry as well…"

"For what?" Celia spoke in almost a whisper as well.

"For becoming angry and yelling at you. I could've spared you my drama and made amends with everybody at the Reservation…but I came to you, a friend and dragged you down here. Though, despite this, you must understand how disbelieving I was about the information. I just…can't believe he's alive and here right now." He shook his head, a smile creeping out from within.

"I know and as your friend, I will always be there for you and your clan-." Celia began though silenced herself as Delsin spoke up.

"Up- Not clan, family. Your family." Delsin shot his finger at her in a swinging gesture, a grin smirking up.

"Wait…what?"

"Your family. I'm taking you in."

"No- No, I couldn't-."

"Celia, please. It would be _my _honor to accept you into our family; Augustine has no hold over you anymore…right?"

Celia stared upwards at him with her large, Vietnamese eyes, nodding steadily in acknowledgement. "Yes. She has no hold over me anymore." The thought or hearing of her name brought pain and anger to her heart, despite her notorious actions and unexplainable motives, she did mother her to an extent, with or without concrete.

"So what's stopping you now?" Delsin smiled, his head shaking slightly along with his shoulders shrugging up a tad.

Celia thought about this for a moment, there was really nothing else holding her back or stopping her. This could also be a good thing for her too, a loving family to nurture her and care for her, better than Augustine, better than carrying out Conduit assassination missions, better than her life is now, on the run. A sanctuary of peace.

"Nothing at all." She giggled softly, shaking her head in agreement to herself. "Nothing at all!" Her giggle almost indicated a sense of crying as her happiness arose in major jubilation, lunging herself into his arms once more in tight grasp. "I can't believe it!" She laughed into his shoulder, hearing it come out muffled.

Delsin chuckled, arching himself back as he instinctively caught her in his arms, raising her completely off of the ground. He re-oriented his structure, feeling Celia wrap her legs tightly around his waist, hands caressing his neck line gradually. The two conduits stared at one another, Delsin cracking a wry smile with Celia returning it with a bright one, thumbs tracing along his neck.

"Thank you so much…" She whispered, looking down at him with the smile still intact, her eyes shifting from his own to his facial features.

"You're welcome, Celia." Delsin responded in whisper, his back connecting with the hospital wall as he continued to hold her up above the ground. Unbeknownst to the two, the officer was grinning to himself, his hands cupped together tightly as he watched the couple hug it out.

"I bet you and your girlfriend are happy." He spoke up, taking steps towards the two, watching them glance over to him and detach from their close hug.

"Girlfriend? Oh no, we're not-."

"He's not-." They both began, leading the officer to hold up the palm of his hands and tilt his head downward, a grin forming up.

"No worries, I understand. Come on, I'll drive you both home."

"Thanks, we really appreciate that. Hey, by the way, who are you? I've never seen you in the Reservation precinct before." Delsin asked, setting Celia down and retracting his hands away.

"I just got in recently, here to see my half-sister actually for the week but something tragic happened to her. I was here to see her in the ER, but then I heard the news of Reggie's return and told this young lady here." The officer pointed a finger to Celia, grinning slightly.

"Oh? What happened?" He blinked once slowly, trying to figure out the mystery till it was laid out right in front of him.

"It actually happened last night, at the Reservation, someone or something destroyed one of her eyes after a fierce battle, I suppose. I know of her role in the D.U.P. and I despised her of that…but never like that. What was to be a visit and a loving reunion is now just hope and a vendetta against whoever did this to her. I will catch him and bring him to justice for pre-exquisite murder; you can swear me by that." The officer nodded his head before clearing his throat. "But pardon, my name is Jayson Harper. Akomish, of course and my sister is as well, but by a small percentage.

Delsin was awestruck to the core, this man, Jayson, was now determined to bring a ruthless person to justice when the person he is looking for is literally talking right in front of him. His eyes were wide for a moment before he closed and re-opened them from rapid blinks.

"Your sister's Akomish? I'm…sorry for your loss."

"Nah, you've got nothing to be sorry for, Del. As far as I'm concerned despite what most of the activists around town say, you're a made hero." Jayson chuckled softly, referring to the first subject of the question. "Yes, she is- or was. She didn't stay long, like not long at all. She always wanted to make a difference in the world, a major difference and something about the D.U.P. clicked in her and she enrolled as soon as she was able. She doesn't hate Conduits, but if it means keeping the peace, so be it for her. Once she's made up her mind, she's gone. Let her go." He joked, leaving Delsin to laugh wryly.

_A hero; try again, Jays. Try ruthless killer. I almost killed his sister by smashing her face into a wooden pier post, rupturing one of her eyes and landing her in the hospital, all for pre-revenge. I wish I could take it all back…all of it. All the way back to Hank, I'm so sorry, Helena, please find a way to forgive me in the future. This life is a messed up roller coaster, and I'm sitting front row and center, taking on the bumps and bruises. _


	18. Rocketeer

Rocketeer

* * *

Seattle Grace Hospital

8:16 AM

Seattle, WA

"So, can I see her?"

"She's still asleep, but, I suppose a quick peek couldn't hurt anybody." Jayson grinned warmly; escorting Delsin to the door just feet away and quietly turned the knob on the door. "Her eye's still in the process of being repaired, so judge lightly." He muttered, seeing Delsin respond with a simple nod of his head and allowed him entry.

Slipping inside and closing the door on his own cautiously, Delsin turned to face Helena, waves of anguish and regret washing and drenching over him with each careful step he took but didn't allow that to change his calm, demeaning facial expression.

"Hey, Helena…" He whispered, sliding a swivel chair in front of him across the tiled floor and sat down, backrest facing her to allow his arms to droop upon it. "…I guess I'm the last person you'd like to see right now. I had…-." He caught his breath and inhaled it back to restore his steady pace. "-I had lost…control, over my actions, over my emotional, my morals. I became something…monstrous. I became a monster. I butchered those agents with no remorse, I know I always fight them- but I never killed them." The statement seemed to be addressed to his own well being, for he fidgeted in his chair and clenched his fists. "I can never forgive myself for what I did to you…sorry doesn't even come close to cutting it…"

"…It's…enough." The sudden sound of a soft, harsh whisper took Delsin by surprise and he stared at the lying woman, noticing her eye was still closed but not for long. She fluttered the single eye open, vision rather blurry though came into focus in matter of seconds, spotting Delsin immediately, a grin rising in his face.

"You're awake…" He muttered happily, trying his best to keep his grin intact and to his astonishment, she returned the expression, beginning to clear her throat as best she could.

"My brother…is he-."

"He's right outside…"

"Does he know…?"

He knew what she was referring to and solemnly shook his head. "No."

She swallowed a lump in throat, sighing in relief. "I hear…they're- trying to fix my eye."

"I know, he told me. Judging from the progress, I'd say it's looking rather well."

"You don't mean that."

"I do." He rapidly nodded, his voice inclining on sincerity.

She chucked shortly, taking a moment to sit upright in her bed. "Jayson knows what I did, huh? How I blew up the Longhouse?"

"…He doesn't, actually. I haven't told him anything. It's too much information to process and I…I _want _this to become water under the bridge."

"I probably killed so many innocents…"

"A few…" This statement caused Helena to widen her eye, gasping quietly. "But, I managed to get there in time and…I saved my grandmother and Abby."

"Fetch."

"However you want to take it, they're fine. She's healing up, just like you."

"But she's a conduit, she'll heal faster."

"Her fast-healing is disoriented. We managed to get it back up to speed a bit by…physical contact."

"…I had no idea."

"Our relationship is just beginning to blossom- and I would prefer to keep it that way for as long as I live."

Helena lowered her eye but returned upward, watching Delsin stand up from his chair and approach the side of the bed, leaning inwards.

"You want to help make right? You can start by telling me where I might find Augustine at a time such as this."

"I…-I don't know."

"You don't know or you don't want me to know?"

"She- she could be anywhere, Curdun Cay, Seattle, Salmon Bay- I don't know. I just followed orders."

"Even when those orders involved killing hundreds of innocent residents…?" His voice rose, not by much. "Did you even consider how many people there were? I mean- come on."

"I didn't know!" Her voice broke, immediately resorting to a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah- I am too. But it's not going to cut it- for both of us. Since you won't tell me where she is, I'll find someone who does. Until then, I have some family matters to attend to. Get well, Helena. I'll see you again." With that, he took his leave from the room, stopping a moment to channel calmness within him then opened the door out, seeing Jayson and Celia just there.

"How'd it go?" Celia was first to break the almighty silence, a simple grin placed about her lips.

"It was good, she was awake so Jayson, if you would like to talk to her. She's up."

Jayson nodded sincerely, leaving the group and entered inside the room, closing it but not before slightly grinning to the two.

Delsin, grinning in return, kept it intact on his way round to face Celia again, watching hers light up.

"Shall we head back to the Longhouse, then?"

Celia responded with a rapid nod of her head. "Mhm! Oh- wait- I forgot!" She pulled up the side of her black coat, reaching an arm inside and revealed his rabbit mask. "You left this at my apartment. I figured you'd want to have it back." Her voice filled with sudden nervousness, cheeks reddening, which made Delsin almost chuckle.

He reached out and grasped the mask, staring intently at the sharp details and creativity before turning it over and placing it about his face. "Of course, I would." He inclined his head in a sharp nod, and then finally let off a short, small chuckle tied in unison to Celia. "Let's head home."

* * *

Akomish Reservation

8:29 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

Arriving at the semi-dilapidated front door of the Longhouse, the duo conduits navigated their way inside, stepping over bits and pieces of burnt wood that gave off a vulgar incense smell that irritated the nose, not to mention the smoke still rising from the blazing flames a day ago.

Hearing the conduits, Betty turned in her seat from Abby, who was already facing their direction, shifted her eyes up to see them clearly. Her hands were firmly gripping a warm mug of tea and her body was wrapped in one of Betty's shower robes. As Delsin and Celia approached the kitchen table, Abby and Betty both smiled simultaneously, though their faces showed curiosity from the two rabbit masks placed over their own.

Delsin took charge and casually wrapped his arm around Celia's shoulder. "Guys, I'd like to introduce Celia, owner of Paper and the creator of the Paper Trail." Though half-obscured, he was shown to be smiling brightly, noticing Abby's surprised look upon her face.

"Celia, so, she's the one who put the dart in you that day?"

"Dart…?" Celia inquired, turning her head up to face him.

"Actually- no, that would be the Tar Sisters. Who…I've strangely haven't seen for a while. Then again- I decapitated one of them…" Delsin's thoughtful expression was changed as Abby's turned to a deeply confused and surprised one.

"In my mind- I mean. They tore me within my mind. That's why I'd wake up screaming or…hell- not waking up at all."

"I know we're not superheroes…well- oh hell- we are…" Abigail began, stopping to take a sip of her caramel tea. "…we have a very strange rogue's gallery." Everyone began to chuckle and smile.

"Yeah, yeah- I guess we do." Delsin confirmed her statement. "But that's what keeps things interesting, also." He was respected by Abby lifting up her mug as she was swallowing tea at the moment, Betty and Celia both nodded their heads.

"-So, Betty…?" Delsin received her attention then turned his head downward to Celia, grinning within the mask. "Celia…doesn't have a home. No family, nothing. Only Augustine was there for her, but as we all know, she's kind of bitch of the year." Chuckles sprouted about. "So I took it in my power and goodwill to make Celia my responsibility…my sister. What I'm asking is…can she join the family with us, too?"

Betty and Delsin stared at one another, her face cropping up to a smile and after a minute of pondering, she nodded her head firmly. "Yes, she may." Happily, she extended her arms out to Celia, who approached and was pulled into a warm hug, graciously returning it. Abby and Delsin both smiled at one another, leading him to prepare another question.

"Where's Eugene?" He mouthed the words, watching Abby point to the outside and then perform the best flying gesture she could muster with the air words 'With Emily.'

His lips formed into an 'o' shape, finishing with a smirk as she shook her with a giggle.

Celia, extracting from the hug with Betty, turned back to Delsin and laughed with utter enthusiasm. "I can't believe it…! We're a family!" She rushed towards him and extended her hands out to grasp his.

_Oh shit…_

"Wait-!" It was too late, their hands connected fully, wrapped tightly around one another and then darkness filled Delsin's eyes.

One hour later

"Ugh…"

"Hey, you're up."

"Celia…?"

"Yes."

"I…you…"

"I know, I'm sorry- I forgot. I was so invested in the moment."

"It's okay…so…what happened?"

"You blacked out. My power- transferred to you."

"…I have it."

"Yes."

"Crap."

"What's wrong…?"

"I…I can't switch powers then, I need…core relays to…expand Paper."

"Here, let me help you."

Nodding to her, he gripped her hand and hauled himself up off of the floor, finding Abby and Betty standing beside her, worriment spread across their faces.

"I'm alright…I just need to- whoa!" Flying back, Delsin found himself pressed against the front wall of the Longhouse, eyes widened underneath his mask and gasping in spastic spurts. Before him, he found shreds of paper floating about the air, dispersing after a couple of seconds of air time.

"Delsin…!" Celia appeared ahead of him, using her Paper dash and held his hands tightly in front of him. "You're okay. Calm down."

"Holy shit…is that how it feels? Every time you use it?" He stared directly at her, watching her slowly nod her head.

"Yes."

"Then this…is freaking awesome! Ho!" He gasped once more, trying to recapture his breath and laughed outright hoarsely. "That was wicked…"

Celia took his enthusiasm to a surprise, but quickly absorbed it as a good thing and grinned slightly. "I suppose it is."

"Oh- I gotta get more of this- that was so awesome!" He screeched out, vigorously shaking his hands into tight fists of joy.

"I'm sure if we scour Seattle, we can find you another core relay, I've heard rumor the D.U.P. are setting them up again to fuel their own means."

"Well…then it's ripe for the taking." He smiled brightly, standing upright from the wall. "Let's do it." He turned his attention to Abby, waving his arm. "Hey, you want to tag along, it'll be fun." His voice trailed in a tease, causing her to shake her head and shrug her shoulders.

"Sure, why the hell not…" Taking off the bath robe, she folded it neatly and handed it to Betty with a smile, her natural 'Fetch' attire still intact underneath along with her hair dyed fresh with the new dye set received from Betty on Christmas, strands of bright, angelic blue tied along with the full head of dark pink iconic hair.

"Beautiful…" Delsin muttered as Abby walked toward the two conduits, making a prolonged scoff with another shrug.

"It's nothing you haven't seen already." She smirked, placing a hand on her hip, gesturing her arm out. "So, we going or not?"

"Yeah, let's do this." He received a nod from Celia, then another from Abby and together they stepped outside of the Longhouse and all used their dash abilities to reach the broken bridge to Seattle.

* * *

Queen Anne

9:01 AM

Seattle, WA

"Whoa…! That's new." Delsin skidded to a stop just after reaching the far side of the broken bridge, eyes fixated on an oncoming event.

"What?" Celia appeared beside him, then Abby as they all stared ahead, finding the D.U.P. parked just outside the bridge area, soldiers planted in random spots around the area, all with one objective: Protect the newly built core relay. "Oh."

"Well, besides my new power- yeah- that. To be honest, I'm always down for a good D.U.P. beating…but this looks like a trap to me."

"Please, you're just worried because you don't have anything to defend yourself with besides your dash. Let us chicks handle the fight this time."

Delsin grumbled silently, rolling his eyes in defeat and threw his arms out. "Go ahead." He bit his lips as he watched both women glance to one another and nod in unison.

"Let's go, girl."

"Right behind you!"

Delsin crossed his arms over his chest, preparing to watch a good show with a grin.

Abby ran ahead with Neon, Celia in tow on Paper, the sounds their powers produced alerted the D.U.P. early on, fortifying their positions, rifles at the ready.

Opening fire when close, the girls split apart, Abby taking the left and Celia taking the right, zipping straight into the line of fire. Celia proceeded first, vaulting over an agent once phasing into physical form and stabbed him in the back with paper knife construct, causing Delsin's eyes to wide from viewing the experience close at hand, wondering if he could also create constructs once he expanded out.

Abby went next after Celia's attack, hopping into the air and tucked her legs in as she hurtled her body towards an unfortunate agent, knocking the daylight out of him with a swift kick of her legs and sending the agent flying back several feet specifically next to Delsin, who whistled.

Straight after, she cocked her elbow backward, colliding with an agent's abdomen who thought he could get the better of her and crumbled to the ground in shame.

Celia shifted her paper knife to a Bo staff, twirling it about her body to showcase her expertise with it, intimidating the agents she faced.

"Get her!" All three charged forward at once with Concrete, dropping their rifles to get down and dirty. Celia performed the splits as three fists came soaring her way, knocking them off balance with a widespread attack of the bo, stunning them then smashed the edge of the staff across their faces in one clean swing. Sadly for her, the construct broke apart, but she expected this and brought out a new toy: Sais.

"Oh damn…" Delsin muttered, eyes widening. "First Donnie, now Raph. I like her." He grinned sheepishly.

Celia flipped the twin Sais around her fingers in a rapid pace, almost too fast for Delsin to process, and then heard her grunt softly after her demonstration, menacing enough to cause an agent to drop everything and scurry away, leaving her standing tall.

"Bad. Ass."

On Abby's side of the fight, it seemed to become overwhelmed for his liking and took a step forward, worriment filling deep inside his heart. He heard desperate grunts, quick punches, Neon charging up then depowering. She was surrounded.

"Celia!" He caught her quick attention then pointed his finger in Fetch's direction, receiving a nod but no movement.

"No!" Abby yelped out. "I got this…you bastards." They both weren't sure if she was referring to them or the overcrowding agents beating down on her. Neon was heard charging up; Abby's eyes flashed pure, blinding white, stunning Delsin with shock. Her fetal positioned body levitated upward into the air, twitching ever so slightly before fully expanding out, one leg crooked above the other as her arms reached full wingspan, exploding raw Neon energy outward, blasting and disintegrating the surrounding agents, leaving only their trailing screams of agony for everyone to hear.

During that moment, she fell to the ground with a soft groan, turning her body around to stare up at the morning sky as Delsin and Celia hovered above her hurriedly.

"Are you okay…?" Delsin asked quickly, reaching down with Celia to help haul her back on her feet, leaving Abby to only yelp and groan in exhaustion.

"Never…better." She escaped in a short gasp, extracted her arms from the two and stood up on her own.

"How did you…Abby- that…was incredible."

She caught up with breath and stood up straight, huffing shortly. "I just…thought of Brent. It felt like I was actually going to die...I thought of all the things I hadn't done yet. Saying goodbye to Brent one last time, telling you I love you one last time. That's just it. One last time." She chuckled at how cheesy her wording was and shook her head, a single tear escaping her eye. "My emotions spiraled out of control and I…lost it." She smiled, sniffling afterwards. "So- uh- are we getting this open or what?"

Delsin could only stare intently at her, pushing up his mask and leaning forward into her, wrapping his lips over hers. It would've become deep and passionate had not Delsin broke it off a few seconds later and silently cleared his throat. "I love you."

"I love you too…" Abby had her eyes closed for the kiss, reopening them with a soft grin. "Come on…"

Celia, who had her attention turned elsewhere to prevent being nosey or in the way intentionally, turned as soon as they were ready and they all approached the relay, Delsin rubbing his hands together as if he were a giddy schoolgirl.

"Okay, guys. If you'll do the honors."

"With pleasure. Oh- and hey-." Abby called over to Celia, reaching a hand out over Delsin and both women bumped fists together. "You were pretty kick-ass." Celia smirked halfway under her mask, but acknowledged fully with a firm nod.

"You too. Now let's pop this sucker."

Charging both powers at once, the girls shot their arms forward and obliterated the relay to shreds, revealing its hypnotic whirring and eye-catching turquoise color.

"Alright…here goes nothing." Delsin took steps closer than the others, one hand filed out and at the ready, not sure when the impact would hit or if it even would. Sure enough, his hand was flung back, reveling in core relay energy and soon his whole body was captured in the sensation, sending him several feet in the air and caused his body to twitch and squirm with happiness before he received a vision, a vision of his newfound power.

Setting down on the ground, he flicked both hands out in Paper jubilation and turned to face the girls.

"So, what'd you get?" Abby asked, the same question was shown in Celia's face but was obscured.

"Hand-to-hand constructs." Wasting no more time, held his hands out and watched as paper began to rustle and form, crumpling, spreading out, folding until a fully made, hand-crafted baton was placed in along his palms. "Hell yeah. I'm like the Paper Green Lantern!" Both girls rolled their eyes and giggled as they watched him swing about the weapon, with as much ease, dispersed it from existence. "That's awesome."

"Shall we look for more?" Celia asked, not at all in a rush.

"You know…I'm thinking one upgrade a day. Keeps the excitement on the same level. It's sort of similar to Christmas Eve allowing you to just open all your presents there if you wanted, rather than open one, then open the others on the actual day." They both caught his drift and nodded their heads in slight agreement.

"So, back home?" Abby stuffed one hand in her pocket, shifting her body weight onto one side and grinned slightly.

"Yup, let's head back home so we can spar."

"Ooh! You read my mind!"

"I am your boyfriend."

Abby stuck her tongue out playfully before all three conduits doubled back to cross the gaping bridge.

* * *

"Report."

"First core relay is down, Miss Augustine."

"Good. Place more around the city. I want him to follow our little breadcrumb trail and soon, I'll have him right underneath my thumb."

"Will do, Miss Augustine. But-."

"You can go now, Riley. BioFrame will be safe and secure from now on. Cole MacGrath was just the accidental headstart.

Commence Phase 2."

**|| I hope you have a fantastic day. If you aren't, you can punch me virtually. Have a good one, guys. Leave reviews too, love constructive criticism.**


	19. Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand Smoke

* * *

6:05 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Ready."

"On my mark…mark!"

All at once, Celia, Abigail and Delsin charged toward one another, aiming their arms forward and firing off mixes and bright flashes of Neon with the rustling and whistling of Paper. Each conduit split apart, dodging their oncoming projectiles with dashes and soft grunts, flipping and dodge rolling.

"Come on, D!" Abby taunted him, turning her attention to Celia, letting off a torrent of Neon bolts, disappointed that none came into contact with her as Celia was dashing left and right in flourishes of bright Paper.

"Oh, you do _not _want to taunt me!" He retorted back with a smirk about his lips. He was ready for round two with his girlfriend and wasn't about to let up. Readjusting his rabbit mask slightly, he spread his legs at ready distance, taking precision aim with Paper and with one shot, managed to hit the distracted Fetch in the gut, leaving off a wince in his mouth. "Oh…shit."

"Ugh-!" Abby clutched her side, eyes turning ablaze in purple revolt as she faced her trepid lover. "You didn't."

"…I did." He squeaked out, eyes widened underneath his only cover of the face. "…I'm sorry." He quickly stated, only able to take one step before feeling his feet fly off the earth, his view of the Longhouse beside them pulling away vastly. Only trees were now in his vision as he suddenly began to scream upon realization as to what was happening to him.

Abby had blasted forth in a heat wave of Neon, screeching in rage and tackled Delsin through the forest, leaving Celia to follow closely in Paper, trying hard not to laugh on the inside of the situation.

Finally halting, Abby let go of Delsin, hearing him crash into the massive trunk of a tree, groaning heavily.

"Welp, I think I won this sparring match."

"Oh…bullshit." Delsin coughed out as he stood up from the trunk, sliding his mask up above his head to breathe in a hard gulp of air.

"You'll be okay." Abby snorted, approaching him and laid a gentle kiss upon his lips, noting that he quickly shivered upright and smiled brightly.

"I'm good." He spoke out, kicking his head down to lower the mask over his face once more.

Abby began to pout and crossed her arms. "Hmph, what a gentleman, won't even let his girlfriend have any fun."

"He does! Sometimes…I mean- it's not that I don't enjoy it." He took a step closer to her, head tilted to the side.

"Oh yeah…?" She smirked playfully.

"It's just…you know, we have company everywhere and- you know."

Celia, who was standing several feet away from their scuffle, focused her attention on a single lily white flower, crouching to prick it off of the dirt soil and twirled it about her fingers; her once previous jealousy from their relationship was now dubbed-down.

"Oh, I see." She nodded her head once or twice, leaving Delsin to stare at her in an obscured and confused expression. "You don't think you can win against me in a spar." Tapping her finger against his chest, she pushed him slightly. "Admit it."

"What? Psh- no way, I can totally beat you. It's just that I have respect for the female body."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I have standards too, you know." He rapidly nodded while chuckling in a soft tone, turning his head to the right to glance at Celia. "Hey…hang on." He signaled to Abby to stay put, in which she gestured for him to proceed.

Celia still twirled the lily white in between her fingers, taking a quick moment to lift up her mask and take of whiff of the sweet-smelling flower. It brought a feeling of relaxation upon herself, relieving her of the stress. Finishing her moment of relaxation, she could hear the crunching of leaves, indicating that she was to be accompanied.

"Hey. Um, are you okay?" Delsin stopped shortly beside her, barely noticing the lily white in her fingers if not for his necessary need to scratch the back of his head. "That's beautiful…"

Celia only nodded in agreement, reaching over and gently placed the flower in his hand, walking past him and soon disappearing from the scene in a dash.

"What happened?" Abby watched this from where she stayed standing, eyebrows raised in question.

"I'm not sure. She seemed…quiet." He shrugged as his final response and returned to her, handing the lily white over.

"Did she have this?" Abby took it upon herself, gazing thoughtfully into its blissful petals, almost hypnotized by its subtle grace.

"Yeah- and then- she left. Not a word. I'm worried." He was off in the distance in concern before turning his head back to find Abigail staring at him with a solemn expression. "What…?"

"Dummy…"

"What...?"

"She likes you."

"She…what?"

"Ugh- The silence, the looking off in the distance- she likes you, dumb-o." It wasn't necessarily the thought of Celia taking an interest in him more so than seeing Abby begin to smile slyly.

"You got yourself into a love triangle." She sang this song in a playful manner, giggling soon after.

"…Crap." This caused her to spurt out laughing, leading him to cross his arms over his chest. "What?" His voice became raised in slight annoyance.

"Just seeing you so…defenseless- it's funny and cute. You cutie." She grasped the side of his cheek and pulled it vigorously.

"Wait a minute, hold on-." He lightly slapped her hand away and pulled his mask off, revealing his utterly confused face. "-How are you okay with this?"

"It's simple. Love is love. No need to make a big deal out of it. Besides, no matter what woman you decide to get it on with, you'll always be my little Smokey bear." Delsin stared helpless as she proceeded to slap his cheek softly, taking her leave from the woods to head back to the Longhouse.

"Love is love…huh." He pursed his lips, deciding that the woods were not the place he would like to be at the moment.

* * *

BioFrame Diagnostics

Lantern District

7:19 AM

Seattle, WA

"We're doing what?" Samantha scolded in as soft a voice as she could produce without becoming full on enraged.

"We have to activate the conduits we have stored here." Riley spoke with depression, sighing from how stubborn Samantha was famously known to be. "We have no choice."

"For what, exactly?" She crossed her arms over her chest and scrunched her face up, glasses tilted downward to reveal her annoyance.

"For 'Phase Two'." Riley rubbed the backside of his hair and turned from her to begin a pace around the lab.

"Wait…" Samantha gasped quietly, eyes beginning to become wide with worriment. "…She wants to kickstart a war against Delsin Rowe."

"Yeah…" He muttered. "…And if we don't comply, we're practically dead. Makes me kind of regret ever blackmailing the boss for a raise…"

* * *

Market District

8:01 AM

Seattle, WA

"So, are you ready for a new ability?"

"Hell, yeah…"

"It's just on the corner of the street going underneath the bridge leading towards the second island."

"At least they're putting them in usual places as before. Alright, you two stay here; I'll be back."

"Don't die!"

"Ha-ha, don't bet on it!"

"How much you want if he does?"

"Hm…ten bucks."

"You're on, Paper girl."

As Delsin took his time strolling down the middle of the semi-packed street, he immediately noticed that it was more than just the Pawns standing guard now for back-up had arrived in the form of the rare Gatling gun behemoth, two full-on Concrete special agents, three Concrete brutes and top it all off: A single Concrete Knight.

"Son of a-."

"Bio-Terrorist!"

"Welp, I'm gone!" Moving to the side with Paper, Delsin decided to play a little with his food before going in for the ultimate kill that was the core relay, chuckling with an evil tinge.

Watching the Knight take the first move with a Concrete whip that arched high into the air, Delsin slid out of his dash and just as fast as he reformed, constructed a heavy-duty War hammer; colliding the handle with the whip, holding it in place of mid-air while fighting for the winning divine move.

Grunting loudly, he managed to break out of the struggle, shattering the Concrete and causing the Knight to stumble back stunned, wide open for a receiving blow of the hammer which Delsin generously delivered upon the side of its face, hearing a sharp crippling strike occur over his roar cry.

Subduing the Knight out for the count, he gripped the handle of the War hammer tightly as he turned to face the rest of the squad, growling quietly with a smirk growing upon his face.

"Let's do this."

As the battle for control ensued onwards, Abigail and Celia watched from the sidelines this time around, each mentally still on for the bet of whether Delsin would win or lose this fight. Each winced with every crippling strike that was delivered to the D.U.P. and groaned playfully once watching Delsin become hit with enough strength to send him flying back numerous times.

Five pawns, two special agents and two brutes later, it was all down to the Gatling gun and one last brute before the ultimate finish was given to the victor, Abby and Celia both biting their nails in anxiousness.

Delsin, catching his breath from the endless onslaught, began to pace around the last two fighters in a circle, them performing the same in due time, eager to begin.

Switching out his War hammer, he constructed his own Gatling gun, finally gaining his full breath back and huffed out solemnly. "Let's go." He twisted his neck to the side, hearing the bones crack in place and twitched his finger against the trigger; narrowing his eyes in anger.

Ten minutes later

"Delsin I-…"

"Ragh…!"

"I think it's-."

"Hah!"

"Delsin-

"Ugh!"

"It's dead!"

Slow puffs and huffs sounded out as Delsin stumbled onto the charcoal road, planning on staying there for eternity if not remembering the entire reason he was there in the first place. "Just…hang on!" He grunted out in exhaustion, turning around to face them once he stood up, holding tight between his white-knuckled fingers a fully-functional revving Paper chainsaw that he had used to finish off the last Concrete brute and cement his victory over this quest.

"I did it…"

"Damn, here you go." Admitting defeat, Abby reached into her back pocket for her wallet and fished out ten dollars to hand to Celia, who smiled and nodded firmly.

"Wait…you guys betted on-."

A single blast of Neon impacted just inches from his face, colliding with the light pole next to him and heard it fall over with a screeching moan.

"Up- shut up. Core relay, you, and it, bond- now…" She had her fingers raised to fire off another blast as Delsin eased her off with gently hand gestures.

"Okay…okay- I'm going. Geez…" He muttered, earning him another blast deliberately missing him from Abby, whom he glared at soon after and saw her begin to snicker alongside Celia.

Revving the chainsaw back to life once more, he arched his body back, extending his arms out with the tool and began to saw away at the metal plating, scrunching his face in from the terrible loudness of screeching, eager for it to stop immediately.

Thankfully for all three, it went faster than expected and illuminating from within was the relay energy of numerous blast shards compiled into one flowing source of power.

Delsin greedily extracted the box of its contents and levitated into the air as before, dropping down with a soft grunt after only a few seconds of air time and turned toward the vacant lot used for construction. Expanding out of his palm shot out a single straight-moving Paper missile, exploding into tiny bits of shredded pieces upon contact with a piece of the environment and took the trio by surprise.

"Damn…"

"So, a dash, melee constructs and now a heat-seeking missile; not a bad combo…" Abby quipped up, leading Delsin to cross his arms and peer over to her.

"That's not dirty talk, is it?"

"Oh, please."

"Ah-ha, it was, wasn't it?"

"You better move it in the next two seconds or I'm going to laser your sack off."

"Welp- gotta go- bye!" He spoke this in a rapid pace before fleeing the scene in a trail of Paper, leaving only the shaking heads of both girls.

"Boys will be boys."

"You got that right- whoa, what's happening there?" Celia patted Abby's shoulder in a quick pace, pointing her finger to their right at a distant pillar of smoke.

"Not sure, let's go check it out."

"I got your back."

The girls dashed from the highway, zipping vertically up the building ahead of them and rounded over tables, A/C units and balconies, making their way back towards the Queen Anne district, knowing Delsin would've caught the scene just now as well.

"What the hell happened here?" Delsin had arrived at the scene, too little, too late. Charred and blazing cars laid in random spots across the road, civilians shrieking in horror and fleeing away in the opposite direction from which Delsin was arriving from. Nervous breathing sounded and reverberated off of his mask back into his face as he continued forward slowly, cautiously, ready for any sudden movements against him.

The further down the street he walked, the more smoke was filling the air, causing a cough to sound out from him then soon another, stopping him in his tracks. He bent his knees, gripping his chest tightly, producing more coughs and soon gagging against the air.

"Ugh!" The smoke was different to him, it wasn't the usual power source he was used to, and this was thicker, heavier and burned his lungs up from the inside-out. Ready to turn around and head back for a clean supply of air, he found the source of the rogue smoke just several inches away from him; a man, taller than him, eyes wide and glowing orange. His mouth was agape and the rogue smoke piled out into the atmosphere from within his body.

"Gah- Holy shit…!" Delsin stumbled and fallen back against the road, trying to search for an opening to readjust his surroundings but failed to find one in the short amount of time he knew he had before his lungs would collapse and he would surely fall.

"Delsin!" The familiar feminine voice of Abigail caught his attention, though his vision was obscured and his vigorous coughing took over immediately, pulling him from responding.

"Shit- he's trapped in there!"

"I'll try and get him out!" Celia dashed ahead into the thick smog, Paper billowing around her at a fierce speed, tearing at the flaccid vapor the closer she approached.

Catching the source of the ebony smoke, a tall, burly man with his back faced to her, Celia acted quickly, pressing forward and with a loud grunt punched the man in the backside with a Paper-covered boxing glove, knocking him forward several steps and evaporating the cloud of smog.

Delsin could feel his lungs tightening, his life coming to a close until something happened, the man, the conduit lurched forward a few steps and the rogue smoke dispersed from the area, freeing up Delsin's lungs and diaphragm and giving him new life as he inhaled a deep breath of relief. Fierce coughs were still made as he tried to haul himself up to his feet, stumbling forward and hitting the side of his body against a lamppost, gasping harshly for more supplies of fresh, clear oxygen.

Celia, eyeing Delsin flee as best he could, returned her attention to the conduit, which after stumbling, turned around a full 360 degrees and glared at the Paper conduit, eyes burning vicious embers.

"Oh my god…" She whispered in a hushed tone, eyes displaying obscured fear underneath her mask. She wasn't sure if she could take him, but soon became reassured once a familiar blast of purple and blue collided into the conduit's ribcage.

"Hey! Smokes-a-lot! Over here!" Abigail stood several feet from the scene, firmly nodding to Celia before she moved her way over to Delsin, who was beginning to fully stand up.

"Are you okay…?" She asked in a hurried tone, instinctively wrapping his arm over her shoulder.

"Never…better." He jested, being presented with a small smile and the shake of her head before he slipped out of her cover.

"I'm fine, I'm okay- seriously." He provided her with an assuring smile of his own before patting her shoulder earnestly. "Let's do this…all of us!" His voice rose, catching Abigail's attention with a bright smile of her own that quickly disappeared with the smoke conduit glaring her down from where he stood.

"Oh shit…"

"Delsin, we have to help her."

"I know…he isn't the same as Hank, his smoke- it's deadly. Almost toxic. I can't drain it anyway due to me not mastering Paper yet and even if I could…it'd probably kill me."

"Well…what do you do when there's unnecessary smoke?" Celia's voiced played on hinting, prompting Delsin to glance over to her.

"…You put it out. Extinguish it." A sly smile soon approached his lips. "Let's do it!"

"I'll pass the plan to Abigail." With that, Celia left Delsin's side, him in tow with Paper. However, the rogue conduit opened his mouth agape again, pouring out another outflow of toxic smoke.

Delsin took action, hopping upward into the air and with a savage grunt, delivered a devastating direct Paper left hook to his lower jaw, the construct resembling an MMA glove.

"You know what they say about secondhand smoke!" He spurted out as the two conduits fell to the ground, Delsin rolling quickly back to his feet while the rogue was still leaning back, seeming to take an unnecessary amount of time before tumbling over.

"TIMBER!" Delsin cupped his hands over his half-obscured mouth and shouted, gaining a chuckle or two from the females.

As if scripted, the smoke conduit crooked his upper body up, moving the lower parts of his body afterwards to stand up once more, cracking his neck in several places. "Time to finish this…" He spoke for the first time, his voice booming with emphasis.

"Oh Lord, it talks." Was all Delsin could mutter before he received a clenching hug from the rogue hauling him off the ground as if he was the equivalent of a paperweight. "Gah!"

"Hands off, Voorhees!" Both Abigail and Celia fired off shots of Neon and Paper into the man's side, only causing him to flinch slightly upon impact as his arms begun to emit sparks, setting alight Delsin's waistline. "Ugh…ah! Nrgh!" Desperately, Delsin placed a hand down against the man's forearm to escape, instantly regretting the decision as the conduit's arms were searing hot in rage.

"I said…let him GO!" Abigail roared in angry, darting forward in a gust of Neon and tackling the man through the concrete overpass railing and descending briskly toward the bottom street, crumbling the charcoal immensely.

In the crater, Abigail threw the conduit out, immediately landing on top of him and delivering a flurry of Neon punches, left and right, gut punches, hooks, uppercuts, each inflicting more power than the prior. She panted heavily after her flurry finished, choking the rogue by the neck now, Neon rushing to her palms, her eyes emitting blazing purple as she met his ember gold, the urge to kill was strong.

She swore that she had killed him had he not thrust a hand forward to her own neck and began choking her, each fighting for control but the rogue triumphed, standing up onto his feet, Abigail still being held.

Back atop of the overpass, Delsin quickly slipped off his denim vest and silk jacket, leaving only his red flannel shirt unscathed by the fire. With Celia beside him, they peered over the edge of the overpass railing, spotting the smoke conduit holding Abigail tightly around the neck, hearing the quiet gags for breath from her, Neon sputtering on and off from her palms.

"NO!" Delsin screamed, diving off of the edge and landing swiftly on the ground with Paper, rushing forward in anger, Paper construct of a meat tenderizing hammer forming in a hand.

The strike was hard, enough to knock the wind out of an ordinary person, the conduit dropped Abigail upon contact and began holding the back of his head in agony, but Delsin wasn't ready to provide mercy. Walking around to the front, he and the rogue stared eye in another, Delsin twirling the hammer in his hand before stiffening his arm outward, inclining his head downward and swung the hammer upward, sending the conduit hurtling backwards several feet, skidding across the road and out for the count.

Huffing inward and out, Delsin distributed the construct away and approached Abigail's side, comforting her as she was sitting up.

"Are you okay…?"

"No…not yet." She growled out in frustration, pushing and getting up out of Delsin's arms, approaching the conduit to grip him by the shirt, standing him upright in front of her.

"Wait, Fetch- what are you-."

A flinch and a scream occurred from the male and female respectively as Abigail blasted the rogue into the water beside the broken bridge with a force of rage Neon, panting once more before turning to her mate. "All better." She breathed out with a smile, watching from the corner of her eye as Celia appeared, making her way to the group.

"That was…eventful." She simply put forward.

"Damn right…" Delsin, Abigail and Celia all chuckled to one another, hearing the sounds of tires screeching and police sirens. "Well, they sure took their time." He joked, peering to find Abigail smirking at him.

Pouring out from police cruisers, officers of the law arrived to corner off the area, finding only craters in the road and the three conduits standing close to one another.

"What happened here?" The nearest officer approached by, holstering his pistol instinctively.

Delsin, gazing from Abigail to Celia, eyed the officer and folded his arms over his chest. "Just your average bad guy shoot-'em up, officer." He grinned earnestly, leaving the officer to only nod and return to his unit.

Soon after the officer approached them, the Channel 6 news team swarmed in, letting off groans from each of the trio before the anchorwoman placed a microphone in front of Delsin's face.

"Mr. Rowe! Can you tell us what happened here?"

"Uh…just as I told the buddy in blue over there, it was just a regular bad guy throw down."

"But, as you can see, there are craters and pieces of the overpass railing crumbling off; can you tell us what happened there?"

"Well…the bad guys are getting more active, more deadly. We put a stop to it, just as we do with even the simplest crimes."

"A more personal question now…why the masks?"

"Oh, the mask?" He touched his face then gazed to Celia. "The masks are…uh…a special project we're debuting."

"Might I ask what you are going to be calling it?"

"Up- look at the time- gotta go!" Nodding discreetly to the others, the trio phased into their dash forms and began to rush away toward the end of the broken bridge, leaving Delsin to only respond once more upon exit,

"The Paper Trailers!"

**|| Love you all. Keep the awpicness spreading in your lives.**


	20. Tooth and Claw

Tooth and Claw

* * *

Akomish Reservation

11:24 AM

Salmon Bay, WA

The Next Day

"-And from yesterday's report, a fight scene broke out near the Queen Anne's district but was already ceased upon the team's arrival. Three conduits were spotted there and our anchorwoman, Annikah was able to get a few questions out of Delsin Rowe, who was among the trio. The interview was ended short though, as the final words from Rowe were 'The Paper Trailers', due to his newfound mask also appearing on one of his partners there. Already, graffiti and fan-art for 'The Paper Trailers' have been spotted around the city and on certain websites. If we ever run into Delsin Rowe again, more questions will follow. This is Charles Sandahl, wishing everyone a wonderful day today." The iconic Channel 6 theme sounded off, switching from the report to a randomly selected commercial.

"Dang, Delsin. Famous on two ends now, not even most movie actors can achieve that level of status." Eugene spoke up after shutting the TV off, setting the remote down on the glass table in front of him and peered back to the couch. Delsin, sitting on the far end nearest to Eugene, had Abigail lying in his lap, her head resting against his legs as she slept soundly across the whole span.

"Hey, what can I say?" He shrugged his shoulders with a quiet chuckle. "Speaking of which, where were you while we were out dishing out the beatdown?" His question brought nervousness to Eugene, pushing his glasses up further against his face, which was flushed with red.

"Huh? Oh, m-me? I was out." He simply stated, peering his head off into a different direction with a stoic manner.

"Oh, really?" Delsin burst out snickering, a playful nod about him. "Was it with Emily?" He sang out, ready to laugh once more if not for Eugene's quick-reactions.

"What? No! Of course not!" He whispered sternly, folding his arms over another in front of his chest, very quickly admitting defeat with a deep breath. "Yes."

"Hey! That's good, man. You need to get her before…Hank…comes back and snatches her up from us."

"You wouldn't…-you wouldn't let that happen, would you?" Eugene's voice quivered in fear, prompting Delsin to shake his firmly.

"Are you kidding? Hell no, she's family. If he wants her back, he's going to have to earn it." This gave Eugene more hope than he could ask for and grinned heartily to him.

"Yeah, you're right. We've been seeing more of each other, though. So, that's always good, right?"

"Mhm, that's always good. She is beautiful."

Their conversation drifted to awkwardness as Abby let out a groan, an arm lazily raised with Neon surging through it. "I'll hurt you, beanie boy. One extra is enough, two's a crowd." She spoke in a slurred state, dropping her arm and drifting back to sleep, leading the boys to stare wide eyed at each other before snickering in unison.

"You have another gal?" Eugene leaned against the bottom of the couch, smiling cheekily to his friend.

"Sort of. Celia."

"The Paper conduit, right?"

"Yeah. Turns out she likes…or loves- me too."

"Ooh!"

"Shush! I just- don't know how I feel about it, that's all."

"Well, has she told straightforward?"

"Not yet, no."

"Huh. Well, I mean, it can't be that bad. If you really think about it."

"True…but still, I'm with Abby."

"She seems completely unfazed by it in my eyes."

"She's all aboard for it." He scoffed into a quiet chuckle. "We'll just have to see how this plays out, I suppose."

"What are you going to do now?"

"To be honest, I want to head back to Queen Anne's district and scoop up that rogue conduit, find out where he came from. He didn't seem…very human."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, he talked- once."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else. It was as if he was being controlled by somebody…or something."

"Sounds as though it's worth investigating."

"Want to tag along?"

"Sure, why not. Emily's at the Fish Cannery with Betty, she really loves spending time with her."

It was these specific, small, wonderful moments in life where Delsin could find hope for the better, a living, growing family in a peaceful reservation. Couldn't ask for anything better in his mind.

"Let's go." Glancing down to Abby, he swayed his body downward, planting a small kiss about her lips, not aware she awoke mid-kiss and pulled him further.

"Don't get him or yourself killed, yeah? I need my favorite Hellfire player around." She gave Eugene simple thumbs up, in which he returned while he stood up from the carpeted floor.

Delsin could only chuckle before phasing through her with Paper, standing up post-dash, leaving her to lean against the edge of the couch, palm in cheek as she grinned at the two. "Have fun, boys. This chick's taking a hardcore nap." She yawned while the two snickered, making their way out of the Longhouse.

* * *

Queen Anne District

11:19 AM

Seattle, WA

Turning up at the opposite side of the broken bridge, Delsin and Eugene approached the far left side and peered over into the water.

"So…" Delsin started up, pushing off of the bent metallic railing. "…want to take a dive?" An artful smirk came into Eugene's view, who glared at him sternly.

"Nuh-uh." He blatantly stated, leaving Delsin only to sigh and with a running Paper start dived into the frigid water.

Cold! Cold! Very, very cold! Oh, he's a jolly good fellow- oh; he's a jolly good fellow!

A single minute passed and up ruptured Delsin, doused to the brim of every inch of his clothing as he shivered uncontrollably.

"Fu- I wish I had Smoke right now."

"Hehe."

"What?" He shifted his eyes up to Eugene, who raised a hand over his mouth to continue snickering.

"No, no- I mean, you wish you had Smoke…and there's the conduit…eh, never mind."

Too nippy to even acknowledge or complain about the jest, Delsin turned his attention to the rogue conduit, which was surprisingly lightweight, given his burly physique.

Turning him over so his face was aiming towards the midday blue sky, Delsin wasted no more time and forming a Paper construct of a parallel plate against his palm, performed a wide smack against the conduit's face, hearing the crack clearly and winced.

"Oh…shit. Okay, maybe a little less daunting, I think."

"I would agree." Eugene popped up, standing behind him with interest.

"Come on, you big son of a-!" Another smack, though toned-down was made, then another, then one more before at last a sudden cough spurted out of the rogue's mouth, eyes drifting apart to see.

"Ugh…"

"Come on, wake up, you prissy. I need information out of you."

"Huh? Y-you!" The rogue growled, trying to sit up to take a shot at Delsin but was immediately put down by a fast-acting jab from his side.

"Nice." Eugene smiled while patting Delsin's back, both of them acknowledging one another before turning back to the once again awakening conduit.

"Are you done?"

"Y…yeah."

"Good. Cause, I'm freezing and I'm pissed off right now. Oh- wait!"

"What- Oh!"

The conduit was knocked out again by Delsin, who reached into his back pocket and pulled out what was to be his mask, sopping wet from the dive. He quickly cursed himself silently before slipping it on with a groan.

"Okay…" He turned to Eugene, his voice a bit more compressed. But before he could say the remaining half of his sentence, a shrill voice of a woman calling towards them was heard on the overpass.

"Delsin Rowe!"

"Yes?"

"Um, I found your vest and jacket, I think!"

"Oh…shit- I need those, Eugene, uh- do me a huge favor and wake this lug up. I'll be back!" He called out through his sprint of Paper, dashing up the three flights of stairs before appearing next to the woman and exchanging a short conversation between one another.

Eugene only chuckled and shook his head before hovering over the unconscious rogue's body. "Let's go."

* * *

Later

**"Awake!"**

"Huh…? O-oh! Oh! Whoa! Hey! What the hell is-! Ah!"

High above the gap between the district and the way back to the Reservation, Eugene, in full Angel form, held the smoke conduit by the leg between two of his enlarged talons.

"Okay, now, tell him where he got his power from!" Delsin called out, gripping and standing atop of Eugene's shoulder, his vest and jacket now accompanying him while his flannel was hanging up on a random, stuck-out pole from the bridge to dry off.

**"Where did you receive your powers? Talk!"**

"Ah- I- I won't talk!"

Eugene, snarling deeply, turned his head to Delsin, who let off a sigh with the shake of his head and shrugged in a nonchalant manner.

"Drop him."

Obediently, Eugene released his talons from the conduit's shirt, both watching him begin to fall towards the frigid water and heard him begin to scream out of fear.

"Alright, that's far enough."

Expanding his wings, Eugene inclined his body downwards, swooping just above the flailing conduit and caught once more with the talons, rising back to their original height.

"Man, you know, they act all touch on the ground but as soon as when water enters the equation, they kind of become a bitch."

**"I've noticed."** Eugene spoke stale, kicking his leg upward, releasing the conduit for a quick second before grasping him tight in his palm, holding him over to Delsin.

"Are you gonna talk now?"

"B-BioFrame."

"What?"

"BioFrame Diagnostics. It's where I got my powers from!"

"Okay, good. Now who did you get them from? Remember, try and be a stubborn ass and He Who Dwells here drops you into the next Antarctica. Now talk."

"…D-Daughtry. Hank Daughtry!"

"…Shit." Delsin muttered, he and Eugene exchanging looks before he jerked his head, indicating for them to descend back down to solid ground and release him.

"Why did they give you Hank's powers?"

"I…can't. I've said too much!"

"Oh, alright, well, to the pool with you…"

"Ah!"

"What the hell?"

The rogue fell to his knees, fingers gripping and digging into the sides of his head, blooding spewing out. Delsin hopped off of Eugene's shoulder with Paper and approached the conduit's side. "Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Gah! Said too much! I'm sorry! I can't- I can't hear! I can't!"

"Eugene!" He turned his head to an already reformed Eugene and he ran over to the scene as fast as he could, eyes widened with worriment.

"W-what's happening to him?"

"I don't know. He can't hear…"

"Argh!" The rogue screeched out in pain, blood trickling from his nostrils and ears, agonizing pain spreading all about him before it sudden ceased, leaving only the thud of the conduit's body falling against the road to be heard as he laid there, a bloody, deceased mess.

"My god…" Eugene approached the body, crouching down beside it and began to investigate, turning his face side to side, inspecting his mouth, bloodshot eyes and his blood-clotted ears.

Finished with the facial region as it was 'clean' of any evidence, Eugene moved down toward the torso section of the body, raising the conduit's battered, simple white t-shirt to find a surprising discovery. "Holy shit…"

"Cursing from you must mean something bad." Delsin joked in a grave manner before treading over to foresee what Eugene found.

"No, seriously." He moved to the side to allow Delsin a better view while still holding up the shirt, revealing a thick ebony residue painted along the rogue's chest.

"Holy shit…it looks…as if it was…growing inside of him." Delsin uttered, lingering his fingers close to the mark. "It's almost…in the same way as…tar."

Unbeknownst to Delsin, Eugene's eyes broadened, inspecting closer to the residue before collapsing onto the ground with a gasp. "The plague…"

"What?" Delsin peered to his side, eyes still locked on the substance.

"The plague, in 2009, Empire City and then a month later in New Marais! It all came from tar!"

"Are you saying its back?" His voice was tinged with disbelief, leaving Eugene to shrug his shoulders.

"Anything's plausible at this point."

"You're right. I do remember seeing the news about that when it struck in Empire City. I was about 17 when it happened, I think. Huh, when life wasn't so random and dangerous."

"Yeah, but just think. If your life was normal, you wouldn't have met all of us." Eugene formed a cheeky smile.

"Maybe. Or possibly further down the road. We shall never know."

"So…what now?"

"I guess we're going to BioFrame…you know where it is?"

"Nah. We're going to have to ask for directions."

Coincidentally, almost too good to be true, a flyer slapped against Eugene's face from the steady breeze blowing, peeling it off to read it then aimed it to Delsin with a smirk on his face.

**DON'T MISS THE UNVEILING OF THE CUTTING-EDGE RAY FIELD ENERGIZER**

**AT BIOFRAME DIAGNOSTICS**

**LOCATED IN THE LANTERN DISTRICT ON JUNE 5th**

**AT 11:00 PM**

"You're kidding…" Delsin scoffed under his breath, "...you see, now why can't life just be this simple all the time?"

They both chuckled heartily.

* * *

Akomish Reservation

Longhouse

12:25 PM

Salmon Bay, WA

"So…what did you two find out?" Abigail spoke, fused with energy after finally being able to fully sleep well after two days of sleepless nights, a can of Hi-C Orange in hand.

"Well, we fished out the rogue conduit. Interrogated him, Angel-style." Delsin interrupted his story to promote Eugene with the bump of their fists, Abigail snickered afterwards. "Then, after almost giving him a bath, he confessed up, revealing that he came from a place in the Lantern District called BioFrame Diagnostics."

"Never heard of it."

"Yeah, neither have I, but it sounds big. Anyway, then the real kicker came…he got his powers from Hank."

"What?" Abigail got up from her chair in the kitchen, striding into the living room and sat beside Delsin. "How?"

"He must be captured there, we don't know yet. Afterwards…something happened."

"What…?"

"The guy started bleeding…from his head, ears and nose."

"Oh…"

"He said he couldn't hear anything anymore, then…poof- silence…dead."

"Well, what happened to him?"

"Eugene…" Delsin handed the imaginary reigns over to his friend, who cleared his throat quietly.

"I started to inspect him for the cause of death and…we found a…residue on his chest."

"Residue?"

"Yeah, it seemed to form from inside of his chest, in his system…I made a plausible assumption that it was the Plague, you know the Plague, from Empire City and New Marais."

"Yeah- yeah, I remember seeing that on the news when it happened. Looked so terrible."

"It came from tar, I researched every I could on it when I escaped. Apparently from a conduit."

"Who?"

"Don't know. Nobody could confirm or deny, but they did say they saw Cole escaping from the underground tunnel, which was to be the tar's source."

"So…if we talk to Cole…"

"We can get our answers."

"Where's he at anyway?"

"Last I remember, finding a new place to settle with Zeke near the Pier."

"I'll go with you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah- I'm okay with it. D needs a break anyway, spend time with Betty, be there for her."

"I think you might be right." Delsin stated out, getting up from the couch. "I should go and swing by the Cannery, help rebuild and whatnot."

"What even happened there?" Eugene asked, a sense of curiosity piling in his expression. "When we were captured, Cole and I, I heard smoke, but…you weren't there. What happened to you that night?"

"…Something I want to keep buried for the rest of my life." He muttered, closing his eyes in gloom. "I'll…I'll see you guys around." He took his leave immediately afterwards, leaving Abby and Eugene to just stare at one another.

"You ready, Teen Angel?"

"Yeah, let's do this."

* * *

Waterfront

12:45 PM

Seattle, WA

Turning up to the Pier, Eugene, in Angel form, offered to carry Abby there, which she accepted for the first time and upon their landing, hopped off his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem, miss."

"You become quite the gentleman when you're full-blown." Abby jested as Eugene reverted into his physical form, holding his hands up in a shrugging manner.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm an angel."

"Ha. Come on." She chuckled alongside him, pointing forwards to show him two figures sitting on the edge of the roof; a jukebox placed aside them, a simple but small TV blaring an old western cartoon and the sounds of beer bottles popping. Not to mention a lit-up neon sign sporting the word 'Sexy'.

"How profound…" Eugene muttered, catching the attention of Zeke, who nearly fell out of his chair in shock, and then Cole turned in his chair, raising the beer in means of a 'hello'.

"Hey guys."

"Goddamn, do you guys ever knock? Say a code phrase or something? Damn- almost made me spill my beer, man!"

"Zeke, relax."

"I almost had a heart attack."

"Ignore him. What's up?"

Abigail took the lead. "We wanted to know if you remember anything about the power of Tar since you had your seven year coma."

Cole, placing his bottle of beer down on the roof floor, pushed up from his chair and rounded about to face them. "Well, I can confirm that my memory is fine, even if I was asleep for that long. Besides, I'm starting to get used to this place, though I do miss New Marais…anyway- Tar. Yeah, I remember. Sasha, why?"

"A conduit Delsin faced off against yesterday, he had a sort of…residue swelling outward from inside of his chest, it resembled tar…and Eugene thinks it might be…The Plague."

"Wait- you mean The Plague? No, no, I stopped that."

"But what's to say that someone, specifically a diagnostics laboratory, was able to replicate it?"

"Then it needs to be put down…now."

"Then you should know it's from BioFrame."

"BioFrame?"

"Ring a bell at all?"

Cole's expression turned blank, his mind triggering quick flashes of imagery, a tank of water, a hand, the striking red hair of a woman, fire. This caused his hands to fasten into fists, eyelids shutting down. "Yeah…it does. It's where I woke up."

"Oh…shit."

"They were going to cremate me."

"So…you have plenty reason to take a jab at them."

"Yeah, I guess. But why even bother?"

"It's where the rogue conduit said he came from; we take it at the heart of the operation and end this mess right there, leaving only Augustine to take care of…again."

"You guys seem to have a big problem with her."

"She's a big- no- huge thorn in our asses."

This brought a simple chuckle out from Cole. "Yeah, it seems so. Alright, I guess this plan is better than the ones Zeke and I used to come up with. We're in."

"Huh?" Zeke, somehow, was asleep during the short few seconds that the conversation lasted, snorting loudly upon awakening once more and cleared his throat. "Uh- yeah, yeah! We're in."

"Psh- my god." The remaining three all snickered at this action before facing one another once more. "Let's do this."

* * *

The Cannery

Salmon Bay, WA

"Delsin, sweetheart, can you hand me that box of sardines to your left there?"

"Sure thing." He extended his right arm out and lifted the box up to hand to Betty, who was standing in the middle on a ladder, cautiously reaching down to grab it but soon stopped after Delsin bumped the box up and onto the organized pile with a Paper boxing glove construct. "Hehe, sorry."

Betty only rolled her eyes, spotting Emily in casual wear step inside of the Cannery, eagerly smiling upon her approach.

"Hey, guys!"

"Sup, Em!"

"Hello!"

"Delsin!"

"What's up?"

"Do you happen to know where Eugene went?"

"Yeah, he and Fetch went out on official conduit business. I also may have heard from him that you two are together. Is this true?"

Emily placed her hands firmly on her hips, a genuinely heartwarming smile creeping up on her. "Maybe…" She teased, with Delsin letting out a laugh.

"Come on, spill the beans!"

"Yes!"

"Woo-hoo! Hell yeah!" He skipped toward her, encasing her in a tight hug and twirled her around in multiple circles.

Emily burst out giggling, begging for him to set her down with a bright smile. "Put me down!"

Delsin complied shortly after the request was asked of him, taking a step back from the rising dizziness and smiled. "I just need to confirm it. No biggie." He performed a simple wave of the hand, clearing his throat and gazing to the side, bringing out laughs from both Betty and Emily.

"Could you let me know when he's back? I wanted to take him out, on a date later tonight."

Delsin's professional jest quickly diminished to broadening eyes and lips spreading to a bright smile. "Yes, yes, yes. I shall let him know as soon as he's back. Oh, this day is absolutely freaking amazing!" He couldn't handle his own jubilation and clapped his hands together. "Yes!"

Emily giggled once more, brushing strands of her auburn hair behind her ear. "Do you know of any places that I might be able to take him to?"

"Oh, yeah- I-." His words halted by the sudden ringing of his phone in his pocket, fishing it out and pushing send instinctively to answer the call. "Eugene?"

"Delsin…"

"…Helena." Both Emily and Betty noticed the minor octave strike his voice and gazed to one another.

"Can I…talk to you? It's about Augustine…" Her voice was a soft whisper that lulled in Delsin's ear, nearly sending him in a trance.

"…Uh- yeah, sure. I'll…I'll be there."

"Thanks."

Disconnecting the call, he shifted his eyes back to Emily and Betty before taking short strides backwards. "I- uh…gotta go."

"Go." Emily put simply, a half-grin appearing on her face. "And Delsin?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't get killed." Her optimistic nature got the better of him and he formed a grin of his own.

"Will do, madam." A straightforward salute appeared on his end then he left the Cannery and the two women alone.

* * *

Lantern District

BioFrame Diagnostics

Seattle, WA

The roof of BioFrame was barren, no guards, not a peep. Arriving overhead was Eugene in Angel form, holstering the others in his enclosed hand as he descended down as silently as his body mass could withstand and released his allies from his hand, all three grunting upon impact to the roof.

"Nice one, Teen Angel." Abigail wiped the dust off of her shirt and jacket, while Cole performed the same, soon all three turning back to find Zeke upchucking off the side of the roof, raising laughs all around.

"Oh, sweet Lord! Never again! Please!"

"Oh, come on, Zeke, besides, I thought you always wanted to be a daredevil." Cole folded his arms over his chest, smirking in his best friends' direction.

"Not…that…extreme!"

"As I said, ignore him."

Abigail and Eugene, phased back into his physical form, both shrugged and continued on to reach the other side of roof using their respective dash abilities, Cole utilizing his lightning tether and hook simultaneously to catch Zeke by his pant belt and make it over.

Zeke slammed his backside against the metallic walling on the other side, groaning tensely with a growl. "Damnit, Cole!"

"What? I told you to brace yourself."

"You didn't even say anything!"

"Exactly. Now are you done being a bitch?"

Only numerous grumbles from him and giggles from Abigail and Eugene were audible before they all made their way down the stairwell, Zeke lagging behind greatly from cardio issues. "Oh yeah, you guys on ahead, I'll just sit here…" With that, he stopped walking and plopped his bottom on the stair that he was standing on, huffing for breath. "…contemplate on life…think about a nice, juicy slice of- huh? Oh no!" Zeke's voice became defiant in anger, spotting a hook of lightning attached to the bottom of his cargo shorts. "Nuh-uh! Nope! Off! Off!" He smacked his hand against his shorts, but to no avail did the hook disperse, then only screaming could be heard from the bottom where Eugene and Abigail began bursting out in laughter while Cole snickered.

"And it all goes tumbling down…" Cole quipped up with Zeke's thumping arrival on the bottom step, placing one foot on the stair and patting the top of his head. "You alright?"

"Get. Me. Up."

"Yes sir." Grunting softly, Cole helped his best friend up, taking the liberty to wipe off the second layer of dust off of his clothing before receiving a jab to the torso.

"Goddamn- I wish you weren't a conduit!" Was all Zeke could put into words before storming ahead of the group, puffed with annoyance, leaving the others to continue their session of laughs.

* * *

Seattle Grace Hospital

Helena's Room

"Hey…" Delsin spoke as he stepped inside, his voice sprinkling with concern despite everything that went down at their last visit. He still cared and regretted his actions to her greatly.

Helena, eye shut for short while rest, sprang her eyelid up to spot him, a grin forming weakly. "Hey…"

As he crept closer, step by step, it was then that a sudden rinse of surprise swept over him: Helena's left eye was restored with a prosthetic replacement, albeit being a different eye color from her natural brunette palette.

"My god…"

"Surprise…!" Helena winced out, coughing for a short while. "Is it bad?"

"N-no, it's…perfect." A bright grin came in formation from him, bringing Helena's mental hopes up.

"Awesome…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Eh, I could be better. Believe it or not, I've been through worse."

"Really…?"

Lifting off her blanket, revealing her hospital gown to Delsin, she slipped the piece up till her right torso section was visible, showing deep scars and torn, withered flesh.

"Helena…" Delsin whispered with major ounces of concern, more so than before and timidly traced his fingers just above the scars, taking one feel of it then jerked his fingers back.

"It's okay…it doesn't hurt anymore. It's worn off."

"How did this happen?"

"Fire when I was young…at my parents house, we barely got out, this is just a friendly reminder of that dreadful night."

Her words hit Delsin to the point of taking back everything he ever said about her that resembled insults, destroying her eye or anything. But knew it wouldn't do any good for both of their sakes and stayed his mouth, only shaking his head in utter disbelief. "I'm…sorry."

"Don't be. It was my fault. I was trying to cook for my family for once, I was naïve, stupid and I left the pot on the searing stove while I was distracted with another set of ingredients. Then…before I could even scream out 'fire', boom."

"Jesus…"

"I wasn't supposed to live through that. I should've died, but I didn't. I'm here to always dream about that night, to always punishing myself, to always-." Her words were shushed by the soft touch of his hand cupping hers, eyes staring into hers.

"Don't do that…you deserve to live a life, be happy, and have a family of your own. Find…peace."

Helena blinked, sighing through her nostrils. "…And what about you…?"

"What about me?"

"Will you ever find peace?"

The effects of pondering got to him, eyes peeling away from hers to gaze toward the open window, the sunlight breaching through the closed blinds, then he returned the attention to her. "I…don't know. I hope."

"If I have a chance at this, then you do too."

"I don't know about that."

"Don't be such a pessimist, Delsin. Besides, that's my job." Helena smirked with glory, bringing out a chuckle in Delsin.

"Maybe I will…"

"Good…now can you please get me something to drink? I'm dying…" She put emphasis and exaggeration into the final sentence, sounding off a jesting groan.

"Alright, alright, calm down, you beached whale." Seeing her eyes widen, he quickly skipped backwards from a swing, yelping with a snicker.

"Why you little- ugh, you're lucky I'm stuck here." She puffed out, folding her arms over her chest.

"Ha. Ha. Love you too. I'll be back." As he slinked away out of the room to the nearest soda dispenser, she shook her head slowly.

"Love…psh."

* * *

BioFrame Diagnostics

"Do you remember this place…?"

"Glimpses…"

The four allies wandered the halls of BioFrame, glass windows on either side of each, rooms with hologram displays of 3D imagery, photos of brains, symptoms, pressure gauges. Eugene was in the lead of the squad, traversing with caution around each step they took. They knew they were being captured on cameras, hidden away in corners walls or someplace inconspicuous but didn't stop them from proceeding ahead to a moderate-sized lab area.

Documenting, jotting down notes, testing vials of chemicals, and the scientists in the room worked continually, some striding from one side of the room to the other to examine a cylinder tube, inside being a naked being wired to the network that was science.

"Jesus…" Abigail muttered, Neon surging up through one of her arms and fired off a shot toward the ceiling, startling the scientists. "Alright, bozos, where's the guy in charge of this whole conduit bullshit?"

No one spoke up, too scared to even move an inch before someone, a woman with distinct, flowing red hair entered the room, hands held up in front of her.

"H-here…!"

"…Or girl." Eugene corrected Fetch, clearing off his throat. "What…are you guys even doing here? What's your purpose?"

"W-we help conduits! Help them expand their powers, use them wisely."

"Ha! Help…? You call that help?" Abby took the lead again, throwing a hand in the direction of the submerged conduit in the tube. "What do you call that, then? A water slide…?"

"…We- we have no choice!"

"The hell do you mean by that?" Zeke sputtered in, his trusty revolved clasped in his hand, the barrel aimed right to the woman, finger clicking the hammer back slowly.

"…Her…A-Augustine!" The woman, Samantha kept her hands in front of her but turned her head to the side to find Riley stepping out of the same room, gradually and with caution as well.

"She has us on ice…"

"What for…? You better tell the truth, amigo!"

"To…kill Delsin Rowe for her."

"What…?" Abby muttered intently, prompting Eugene to step ahead of her.

"She's forced us to create more core relays for her, place them about the city and 'test' Delsin against these…rogue conduits. She'd kill us if we didn't obey!"

"So you'd kill Delsin?!" Eugene struggled to keep Abigail detained, spreading his arms out full span in front of her face.

"We don't! She…gets under your skin!"

"Oh- I know! I've seen it firsthand…" Abby growled darkly, bringing about the fear in both doctor's eyes.

"How many more are out there?" Eugene spat out.

"Just…one…"

"Where is it heading to?"

"…The hospital…"

"…What type of conduit is it?"

"…It's not a conduit."

"What…?"

"It's…a time bomb formed into a man. We were forced to make it!"

"Show us…now!" Eugene dropped his arms down, watching Abby take the lead and the rest follow the doctors into the next room, her eyes glaring back to the other scientists for a short second.

Riley and Samantha led them to a console with three screens, each showing different angles of the hospital. A second pair of threes was down below, showcasing the interior.

"Why is it going there?" Eugene leaned closer to the screens, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "To kill innocents…?"

"No…" Samantha gulped; trying to hold back her tears of fear and with a swift press of a button switched one of the interior cameras to a specific room: Helena Harper, lying in her bed while a young man entered with two soda cans, an iconic red beanie placed about his head.

Abigail's heart sank to a bottomless abyss, turning her head and eyes ever so slowly towards the doctors, anger filling her emotions to the boiling point. "…I'll kill you. I'll kill you myself!"

"Fetch, no!" Eugene sprang in front of her, transforming to full Angel form and glared downward at her. "Do not hurt them!" Bending down, he reared his head in front of her, the mystical golden eyes glowing intensely, almost blinding Abby.

Standing down reluctantly and turning their attention back to the monitors, they watched the bomber, a male in a dark green trench coat; enter inside of the hospital, a heavy abundance of helplessness swell into Abigail. "No…"

* * *

Seattle Grace Hospital

"Hey-oh- got your drink! I wasn't sure which was your favorite so I got you're a Dr. Pepper." With a cheeky grin, he handed the can to her, taking a Mountain Dew for himself.

"You couldn't have made your way back to ask me?" She joked with a smirk, popping the can open and taking a quick sip.

"What- are you kidding? It was like two halls down! That's enough exercise for me. Whew!" They both laughed and clanked their cans together. "For freedom…"

"For redemption…"

A firm nod exchanged between the two.

Inside of the hospital, the bomber turned to his left, walking with a semi-quick pace down the first hall, stopping abruptly towards the middle.

"W-what's he doing?" He Who Dwells asked, the stutter indicating that even he was afraid.

"He found him…" Samantha muttered, unable to look any longer and turned herself around, Riley beginning to comfort her.

"Please…please notice. Please notice." Abigail whispered in prayer, knowing the inevitable was to occur. Not only would she lose Brent now, but Delsin also, it almost became too much for her to even bear but her eyes deceived her and kept glued to the screen.

A sly smirk upon his face, the bomber stripped himself of his trench coat, his torso the only skin showing only it wasn't natural, ripe with ebony veins, and he arched himself back and screamed out unintelligible words.

"You made…a Tar bomb?!" He Who Dwells glanced behind him to the doctors, Samantha beginning to shake her head.

"It's not a Tar bomb…it's…a napalm bomb."

"No!"

"DELSIN!"

"Thank you…again…for everything, Del."

"Hey- don't worry about it- Ugh!"

The sheer wave of the explosive napalm swept Delsin off of his feet, over Helena's bed and cracked his back against the wall, vision losing focus, consciousness fading.

Half of the hospital was gone, eviscerated, descended into nothing but rubble, ash and liters of innocent blood.

In BioFrame, Abigail's voice was snatched from her and she fell to her knees at the monitor, covering her face to produce small, croaking sobs.

**|| Place a review, if you please and I'll catch you guys soon, keep the awpicness alive. **


	21. Aggro

Aggro

* * *

Seattle Grace Hospital

1:10 AM

Seattle, WA

"Hey, are you awake? Come on, wake up."

"Ugh…"

"There you go…"

Delsin, revisiting the land of the conscious, flicked his eyelids open, gazing face to face with a middle-aged man hauling him up off of the ground and onto his feet. "T-thanks…"

"Glad you're alright, firefighters had to drag you and your lady friend out through the back, it- it was bad."

"Where is she now?"

"Just over there…" The middle aged man angled his arm back, watching Delsin give a nod and a pat on his shoulder before approaching Helena's location. He found her sitting and leaning up against a brick wall, face coated in smoky ash, hair frizzled and dried out. He crouched beside her and crooked her face in his direction.

"Helena…?"

A harsh cough gagged out, Helena's eyes opening up to find him in front of her and she grasped his hand delicately. "Delsin…you're alive. Damn…you sure can take one hell of a beating."

"Ha…you don't look so good." His eyes snatched onto a severe gash across her torso, her hospital gown practically a piece of shriveled cloth at this point and Delsin immediately glanced back to her face. "You need some clothes."

"That…would be a great idea. Help me up?" She got a simple raised eyebrow from his end before he straddled her left arm across the span of his shoulders and lifted her up with a quiet grunt.

"Okay, no more donuts for you…"

She intensively glared his way, him not daring to gaze back and whistled a nervous tune.

"You are so lucky I don't have the strength to kick your ass…"

"Aw, man- I love you too. Joyous, joyous…come on, to the thrift shop."

"Seattle has a thrift shop?"

Fifteen minutes to arrive and ten more to exit, Helena had walked out with a fresh new pair of clothing, biker jacket, v-neck, casual jeans and tennis shoes though her face was still yet to become clean. She walked across the street to revisit Delsin, his back facing her as his eyes stayed upon the burling stack of smoke resembling where the hospital was to be.

As if with a sixth sense, despite her ominous and quiet steps, he must've gotten something from her presence as he shifted his feet around the ground then pointed a finger toward the smoke. "…I know who did this…"

"Who…?" She tugged on her jacket, enclosing her arms over her chest.

"BioFrame…they're the only ones."

"How can you be sure?"

"When I was carrying you to the shop, I overheard the coroner of the unit state that no residue was left from the explosion, it was a clean detonation. Bombs always leave residue, but he also said…it wasn't just an ordinary one, it was…napalm. Who the hell uses napalm on a hospital?"

His question was directed toward anyone and everyone, even to the oxygen they breathed.

"I'm heading over there…you best get to someplace safe, help others secure their loved ones. This city's getting torn apart by the seams and I gotta fix this shit." He turned and rounded past her, feeling the firm grip of her hand come onto his forearm.

"Delsin…be careful, okay?"

"…Yeah." Trying to deliver a reassuring nod, he gently removed his arm from her grip, grinning halfway as he moved out to reach BioFrame Diagnostics.

Still inside of the building, Abigail had moved from the console monitors to the far side wall of the room, away from the others with her head submerged in her cropped up knees. Eugene had reverted to his physical form, pacing gradually around the room, occasionally eyeing over to Abby, knowing that space was what she needed at the moment. Cole and Zeke could be seen in the opposite room with Riley and Samantha discussing matters that Eugene could not make out clearly, only lowered and raised voices every now and again. Shortly after his feet halted from moving, his phone pinged to life, showing a call from a familiar contact.

He was so quick to answer; he almost dropped his phone onto the floor but caught it with quick reflexes and put the call on speaker. "Delsin…?" The exclamation and surprised tone in his voice triggered Abigail to launch her face up, uncoiling herself and running over in Neon in a rush.

"Eugene! Where are you?"

"W-we're in BioFrame!"

"Wait- what? I'm on my way over there now! Listen, I know it was them that triggered the bomb, the napalm- whatever, it was them!"

"Delsin, we know…we…watched the whole thing."

"What do you mean?"

"They had cameras…inside and out, in Helena's room, it was a conduit."

"Wait…what are you saying, it was a suicide conduit?"

"A napalm suicide conduit…"

"Jesus- Okay, just stay there, who else is with you?"

"Cole, Zeke and Abby…"

"Delsin…!"

"Fetch, are you- you saw…"

"I'm just glad you and Helena are both okay, one of us already died, let's not recreate that scene."

A chuckle escaped Abigail and soon one from Delsin, but his cut off as quickly as it began.

"Del?" Eugene cropped back up.

"…Oh my god…" His voice choked suddenly, bringing worriment to the two conduits on the other line.

"W-what's wrong?"

"…I've been so goddamn busy…I-…Reg. He was in the hospital! He was right opposite of Helena's room I- Gah!" Fits of rage and desperation clogged his emotions, bringing about exchanged looks of broadened eyes from Eugene and Abby.

"Are you…are you crying?" Another voice entered the call unannounced; bringing shock to the three conduits before they realized who it was.

"Reggie?"

"Jesus, are you okay?"

"I thought you were- I just-."

"I was let out in the evening yesterday, I was going to surprise you! I'm at the hospital now, escorting bystanders to safety. I heard someone say you were here and I panicked because I couldn't find you."

"No, I'm fine. Oh my- thank god you're alright. I'm over in the Lantern District, about to meet Fetch and Eugene."

"Hey, Supercop!"

"Abigail! Wow, been about a month or so and we're already back to the nicknames, but hey- I do like 'Supercop.'

"Eh, what are you gonna do?"

"Touché…"

"And it's Eugene!"

"Hey! I still think you should be arrested, but, you helped us all out so, water under the bridge, good?"

"Heh- definitely!"

"Okay guys, I'm heading in."

"Oh- make sure you take the roof and stairway, faster." Abby pitched in, leaving Delsin to gaze up the towering skyscraper and then nod his head.

"Got it, be right there."

"I'll stay at the hospital and help out more people."

"Stay safe, Reg."

"You too…"

Upon arriving upwards to the roof after several seconds of Paper usage, Delsin inside of the building through the roof stairwell, vaulting over the railing and descending briskly towards the bottom with a slight grunt, stumbling forwards to the entryway.

Inside took his breath away, the whitening halls, the fiber glass windows, holographic displays of human bodies, conduit bodies. It was a lot to swallow in the short amount of time he offered himself as he demanded answers for the hospital massacre from the head lead.

"Delsin!" Turning to the side once entering the main laboratory, he spotted Abigail running towards him and choking him with a tight hug.

"Yeah- eck, I'm okay. Don't worry." Folding his arms over her, he gently patted her backside, arching his head back to get a clean look into her eyes. "I'm glad you're okay…"

"Hell- I'm glad you're okay! When the bomb went off, I- I cracked- I can't lose you, I already lost Brent- I-."

Delsin placed a finger on her lips and grinned slightly. "I know…I can't lose you either." Abigail formed a smile, removing his finger from her lips and encased them upon his for several precious seconds before detaching and guiding him along into the next lab room.

His eyes enlarged after the first step inside, immediately catching the substantial water tank, the wiring, the craftsmanship before turning his head to decrypt the two strangers in his eyes along with Eugene, assuming they were the ones in charge.

Without realizing, Cole and Zeke appeared behind him, making their way in while patting Delsin's shoulders, him nodding in acknowledgement in return. "I'm guessing you two are the ones who created the bomb, yes?"

Riley was first to nod, then Samantha, who stepped forward, hands gesturing around the room. "You have to understand…we…protect conduits. Help them! Never create or corrupt."

"Who the hell put you up to this? Augustine?"

"Y-yes…"

"Of goddamn course…" Delsin gritted his teeth, exchanging various directions, hands placed about his waist. "She wants to kill me…"

"Y-yes…"

"So, she's forcing you guys to…create suicide conduits and to mind warped the others, right?"

"Y-yes…"

"Great…anything else I should know? Keep in mind that if you keep a single detail out, I will hurt you…severely. I'm not in a good damn mood."

"W-we can tell. You have to understand, we are so sorry."

"No- it's not your fault. It's that bitches' fault. But you're helping her, against your own will, sure, but you're still with her so right now, I don't exactly trust you. Is there anything else?"

"…C-Cole was here. He was what brought the idea to mind, her idea." Samantha lowered her eyes to the ground.

Delsin glanced at Cole, face dumbfounded from the discovery. "You were here…?" His voice sprouted curiousness as he stepped forward once.

Cole, saving time by approaching his side, eyed the tank alongside his friend and simply nodded his head for an answer. "…They didn't know any better, they were just scientists trying to make history. I was distraught, alone, confused and- well, you know how the rest went."

Delsin inclined his head plainly, rotating his head back to Samantha, who stared at the two men, her face solemn with hints of fear.

"We're so sorry…"

Staying his hands on his waist, he left Cole's side and began to pace about the room little by little, muttering words about to himself.

"Goddamnit…"

"**EVERYBODY DOWN, GET ON THE DAMN GROUND!"**

**"****BIO-TERRORISTS!"**

"Shit!" Delsin was first to identify the threat and gestured for everyone in the room to stay low, glass splintered across the span of the room as bullets whizzed past above their heads, the conduits and scientists taking cover as the others just outside were either fleeing or admitting surrender.

"Jesus!"

"Delsin, what do we do?" Eugene cried out, covering the top of his head with his hands as glass sprinkled around them.

"We do what we always do, fight these sons of bitches and get the hell out of here! Change, now, go!"

Eugene nodded his head, crawling across the floor and to the side wall before converting to He Who Dwells, forcing himself to keep low to avoid impacting his head with the ceiling.

"You guys have insurance, right?" Delsin eyed Riley, who nodded his head rapidly before reforming back to taking cover from the hail of live rounds.

"Okay, Eugene, smash!"

**"****I am not a mindless hulk! I will cover you, seek refuge outside!" **

Taking a game of chance, Delsin peered around the corner of the automatic opening doors, watching Eugene taking a running start on his talons and shatter the fiber glass walls that resembled the doors, screeching powerfully and startling the D.U.P. agents.

"**FIRE AT SIMS! GO, GO, GO!"**

**"****TAKE COVER!"**

He Who Dwells raised a curled fist, materializing into his tightened palm appeared a massive angelic sword, glistening in the well-lit room and he took charge at the ready. Wasting no time, he swung the sword downward, splitting numerous miniscule consoles in half, sparks flying, flicking against the agents' visors as they retreated for cover, a few unlucky and smacked across by the full swing.

Delsin and the others all witnessed the scene taking place in front of them before he signaled for the group to start making their way out. "Come on, go!" Cole and Zeke departed first, Riley and Samantha in tow. Delsin waited for Abby's and he grasped her shoulders firmly. "Don't fight, just go. We got this." She nodded reluctantly and ran to catch up with the others as they took their leave on the opposite section of the laboratory.

"Eugene, boost me up!"

"**I have this, Delsin! Leave with the others!"**

"No, listen, Eugene- You can't fight them all!"

"**I said GO!"** He Who Dwells spun around as fast of he could muster, gripping Delsin into his palm and tossed him out of the room in the direction the others retreated to, immediately smashing the wall with his elbow to burrow the path in debris.

"No!" Delsin squeaked his sneakers against the titanium flooring, sprinting back and bashing the side of his body against the doors, not being able to get a budge. "…Ragh!" Constructing the Paper War hammer, he took vigorous swings with the weapon, still not getting a sign of weakening on the other side. "Damnit, I need to get in there!"

Disinclined, Delsin turned away from the door, hearing the muffled sounds of screeching and bullets firing, hoping his best friend would make it out alive and started at a jog to reach the supposed exit the rest headed off to.

The 'exit' was an aircraft hanger, blast doors opened to reveal the early morning sun tearing through the night, inflicting pain upon Delsin's eyes.

"How quaint…"

Providing shade for his eyes with his hand, he advanced past the open doors, coming face to face with an unexpected sight.

Kneeling on the grounds of the leveled-off helipad were Cole, Zeke, Abigail, Riley and Samantha; all encased in Concrete from the waist down.

"My…oh my, how much you've grown." The eerily enthusiastic voiced belonged to no one other than Augustine herself, standing in front of her captives and facing her long-time rival.

"Augustine…so the rumors were true. You are back…"

For what torture she must've endured after their climatic final battle, Augustine held herself up fairly well, her auburn hair flowing down upon loss of her usual bun, strands curled up beyond belief and her face showed an abundance of wrinkles.

"What has it been…a month or so, now?"

"Give or take…listen, whatever quarrel or grudge you still have against me-."

"Ha! Grudge? Oh no, Delsin Rowe- it is _much _more than just a grudge. You took _everything_ that ever meant a damn to me and crumpled it up in front of my face, exposed me and for what? Protecting conduits?"

"Protecting? That's bullshit and you know it!" Abigail cried out to attract Augustine's attention, eyes emitting an intense haze of purple.

Augustine, forming up a smug grin, turned herself upon Abigail and gestured a hand in her immediate vicinity, standing beside her. "Now…you, miss Walker…you have disappointed me the most."

"Oh, I'm sorry, what- are you gonna punish me now?"

Her level of coolness and stability urged Delsin to creep up a slight smile though still at the ready in caution.

"Heh…such a little shit, you are."

"Yeah- no sense, you make." The obscure Star Wars reference was enough to bring a chuckle out of Delsin, which returned Augustine to more pressing matters which involved him.

"Look, Concrete Queen, this is between you and me, now do me a favor and let all of them go and let's finish this…once and for all."

Cackling arose from Augustine, bringing about a confused look upon Delsin until she stopped and had to take a breath.

"You think…that I- heh- would just capture your loved ones and friends, just to let them go? Oh my, you are more naïve than I ever thought you would be."

"Yeah, well, I get that a lot recently. And by the way, my brother, the one you dumped into the icy waters of Puget Sound…he's alive and kicking."

The smile Augustine was forming after the smile instantly dissipated to a grim expression, giving Delsin the reign to smile this time around.

"I see…" Augustine simply nodded her head, turning her backside to Delsin, which brought worriment to swell in his chest.

"…I guess I won't need this two after all." With the sway of her arm, the Concrete smothered over Samantha and Riley, both exchanging feats of muffled screams inside of the cocoons until, with a clenched fist, the cocoons cracked apart, leaving nothing but two piles of crushed rubble across the roof.

"No…!" Delsin lurched forward, only to stop upon the fling of Augustine's hand, feeling a mass of concrete form on both of his feet, rendering his movement to none as he tried desperately to free himself.

"You need to understand, Delsin Rowe. I am- and I swear to God I will…make your life a living hell. No matter how many times over. You crossed with the wrong- what's that word…bitch. And now you are going to pay the price, one way or another." The rivals stared eye to eye, Delsin huffing through his nostrils in rising rage and Augustine grinning sinister.

Shortly afterwards, three D.U.P. agents arrived from the aircraft hanger, all with their rifles rose, forming a small circle around Delsin and the group.

"Miss Augustine, Sims is down. Kill is confirmed."

Angst breathing intensified, eyes expanding, chest heaving, feelings of pure rage overflowing his emotions. Blinking once, Delsin glared straight ahead to Augustine, locked and loaded.

"Ah, good, I'm glad to hear that, now to dispose of the others…" Her words were nothing more than filler noise that only ramped up his anger, his pupils dilated, blazing an intense violet, left arm fuming with Smoke, right arm dazzling with Neon. His backbones shifted, flesh tearing apart to let free a pair of authentic angel wings, flapping in quick spurts to stretch out, his feet morphed with the Concrete already molded over him and transferred the immense power throughout.

Augustine and her lackeys turned to face Delsin, turning her head to find him missing from his prior spot and one of the agents letting off a muffled screech before silencing, then the next and soon the last one, timid to the bone, tossed his gun to ground and pleaded for surrender, though Delsin did not comply and gorged his Neon fist through the abdomen, disemboweling the agent in front of everyone's eyes.

Facing Augustine last, she was swept off of her feet in a powerful gust of wind, Delsin's hands gripping her neck and soaring off of the roof of BioFrame, yelling at the top of his lungs. The others watched the two propel off of the roof, watching Delsin drag her to the place where it all began: The Channel 6 News Headquarters.

Reaching his designated location and with a harsh grunt, he tossed Augustine through the top floor windows, hearing her exclaim out upon hitting the carpeted floor with a thud, gathering her surroundings and balance to stand, finding Delsin standing ten feet apart from her, just as they were when their final battle was just beginning.

"A little déjà vu ringing in your brain, huh?" Delsin's voice had slipped to a low snarl, fists clenched and wings expanded out at full span. "Only this time, it ends here…bitch."

Augustine proceeded to wipe away at her mouth, revealing a hint of blood sprouting on her finger and she returned to gaze upon him. "Alright, the beginning of the end…"

"No, that's where you're wrong. This is the end of the beginning and it ends with your blood being spilt by my hand."

"So be it, Delsin Rowe."

"Okay. Let's dance."

**|| Muse is high, fingers are a typing and my brain is on fire. Keep that awpicness inside you alive, you hear? **


	22. Spirit of Rebellion

Spirit of Rebellion

* * *

Channel 6 News Headquarters

Early Morning

Seattle, WA

A sudden shielding of a Paper mask obscured his eyes from harm, whisking his hands down, gripping twin chains of his previous weapon, each bathed in a blaze of wildfire before he began to take slow, gradual strides with Augustine, each glaring deep into the other's eyes, waiting for one to make the first move and let the battle ensue. Augustine knew in the backside of her mind that Delsin was much more than capable of defeating her now and resorted to a broader tactic, with only the flourish of her arms, both flowing with Concrete, she transformed her body into a colossal mass resembling a scorpion, the same form she had used during their last encounter.

Delsin only shifted his covered eyes up to the beast, a single bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face before taking stance to fight, chains dangling against the floor, leaving trails of fire across the carpet and sizzling it to ash.

With a tremendous roar, the scorpion elevated a pincher in what felt to be slow motion, though barreling back down in a quick flow, seizing an evade from Delsin, stumbling backwards from the sudden shockwave of the smash.

The beast knew no boundaries and raised its other pincher immediately afterwards, narrowly approaching Delsin to seize his existent struggle. He reacted quick, flinging a chain upward toward the pincher, feeling it enfold around and with a short grunt, yanked the chain back, and watched Augustine fall over on her side in a tremendous roar of confusion.

Both hearing and feeling the ground begin to shake beneath him indicated Augustine was receiving a second wind, reverting back to physical form for just a short while, he waited, against his better judgment, for while his mind was fueled with absolute rage over the death of his fellow friend and brother, his heart remained pure and honorable.

Augustine shifted back into the scorpion, rearing its head back to catch him in sight and roared greatly.

"Come on, you big ugly…give me your worst." Delsin muttered harshly, taking cautious steps backwards, backside arched forward, flipping the fiery chains about in a short flourish, waiting anxiously for the next move to be delivered upon him.

Augustine yelped and lunged forward, careening her armored head directly down to Delsin, smashing apart the tiled flooring of the newsroom with her oblong jaws as Delsin swopped backwards with his wings, gradually gaining height and flapped forward in an air dash. With a heavy grunt, he lacerated the head portion of the scorpion with his chains, leaving scorch marks along the outer linings of the prior placement.

As Augustine fell, she shattered into chunks of Concrete, reverting to what Delsin thought to be the scorpion once more, but taken by surprise by her sudden departure from the newsroom, blasting through the vast windows in a hail storm.

Seconds of desperate silence filled the looming air before the subtle arise of rumbling occurred, growing louder, and louder and louder still.

Then it came into his sights, one concrete leg, then another, three, four, five, six, seven and lastly eight. Eight legs of concrete and one bulbous body paired together to form a colossal spider-hybrid, scaling the windows towards the top, prompting Delsin to levitate up and out through the smashed opening, flapping his wings in a hasty manner to reach the summit of the tower.

Delsin turned upon landing on the very tiptop of the tower and gazed at the sight brought before him, the rooftop lights illuminating Augustine in all of her glory, letting off a screech that pierced Delsin's ears and caused him to scrunch his face in disapproval.

"It doesn't matter what form you take, I'll still cut you down!" His voice stooped to a low snarl, gravely and menacing, striking fear through the air surrounding and giving him life. Fingers clutched the chains firmly, fire surfacing greater as the early morning clouds bundled together, setting free a heavy deluge of rain upon the city.

Meeting the spider's stale gaze, he watched the enemy spring a claw appendage, tearing through the non-existent presence of the ether, striking the metallic roof of the news headquarters, becoming cemented with the gap and struggled to extract.

Delsin took this opportunity after dodging to the left side and ran towards the glued claw, slashing the chains across the surface before leaping a great bound, flicking off one appendage from the beast with a quick swing of a chain, the fire trailing behind in a hypnotic grace as he descended back to ground level.

Augustine released a shrill shout, wasting no time in burrowing the pain and raised her right side, the left being from Delsin's point of view, rounding about in a low curved attack, connecting with the conduit and puncturing his rib cage, a yelp escaping him.

She held her prey in front of her many concrete eyes, deciding to play with her food before ending his existence there on the spot, her stare as through digging deep into the very crevice of his soul before tossing his flail body up into the air, her mouth expanding out to finish him.

A saving grace spared Delsin the pleasure of her victory, a single, raging blast of purple and blue impacted with the side of Augustine's mouth, sending her stumbling to the side, her claws gripping the sides of the building were extracted out, her concrete construct screeching out in pain as the trail of Neon and her descended briskly off of the tower towards the streets below.

Augustine's mass bounced off of the asphalt, tumbling with the Neon radiation, the sounds of a second female voice grunting out triggered Delsin to rush over to the edge of the tower, not able to register what had happened just prior and broadened his eyes. "Fetch!" Hurriedly, he hopped into the air, perform a straight dive bomb toward the earth before leveling off, rising higher and breaking through the atmosphere, capturing the tumbling construct/Neon fight in full wide view.

As one trampled over another, Abigail delivered a quick punch to the face before ending up on the opposite plane, Augustine bringing down a quick claw slash and vice versa as this continued until they reached Denny Park, smashing across the bronze monument before Abby flipped off, colliding her side into the concrete ground with a heavy groan.

"Fetch!" Delsin dive bombed once more to the earth, skidding the soles of his shoes across the ground, kneeling beside his beloved and providing her a hand up. "Are you okay…?"

Abby gripped the side of her forehead, shaking it off rapidly with another groan, using his mass as a balance. "N…Never better, you dork. Come here." With an exhale, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, soon sighing deeply. "…Delsin…Eugene."

"I know…" The sudden arrival of rage entered inside of his system once more, reminding him of the situation altogether. "…this ends here…"

Both conduits glanced to the side at Augustine, her body reverted back to her physical form, beginning to moan in pain and struggle to stand upright again.

Abby slipped away from Delsin's grip, arms illuminating in Neon anger as she approached her, kicking her side to have her face upright to her, placing both feet on either side.

"Sucks, huh? Knowing you're at your end…all the things you wished you could've done when you had the chance. Regrets piling up. Loved ones missed! But you- you don't have anyone, do you? You don't love anybody and now…you can rot in a beautiful pit of neon hell…" Swinging her leg back around, she turned to Delsin, gesturing that it was time to finish what they all had started, together, with Eugene alive in their hearts.

Delsin, seeing her gesture, moved forward, chains trailing against the ground, picking up their slack with a quick flick of his wrists, ready in his mind and soul.

Immediate shock smacked his face.

A short stifled grunt escaped Abigail's lips, forcing Delsin to stop abruptly in confusion and worriment, a thick line of blood trailing off the side of her bottom lip, his heart kick-starting in a whirlwind of anxiety.

"Fetch…?" His breathing became rigid, taking a single step forward before feeling his life support shut down. Before him, before his eyes, a single sheet of concrete pierced through Abigail's torso, underneath was Augustine. She was grinning with sinister glee.

"No!" Delsin's voice box squealed out in panic and heartbreak, not an ounce of rage fueling up, just nothing, a void of darkness swelling in his chest.

Augustine swung Abigail back, both watching her lifeless body collide into the bronze monument, the bent edge puncture her abdomen, leaving her off as a mindless display for Delsin to gape at in absolute horror.

Turning her head to Delsin, her longtime adversary for so long, she picked herself back up to her feet, lurching forward before altering and reforming herself into her spider form once more, the process proceeding at a slower rate than normal.

Delsin's mind snapped, his heart cracked, his soul punished to doom, rage was no longer a factor as his 'unleashed' form died away, leaving only one chain attached to his clenching fist, knuckles becoming white in agony.

"Finally! I have taken away the one thing, the one person you loved more than anything! Now you know how I have felt for a month now! You took everything from me! Now, your demise, Delsin Rowe!" Half of her body was already transformed, the parallel kicking off its side immediately afterwards.

"No…not this time…" Heavy breathing sounded off, turning himself away from her and held his chain in both hands, crouching low to the ground, eyebrows narrowing as close as physically possible. Delsin triggered his 'unleashed' form one last time, fatigued from everything else that had occurred in his lifetime since becoming a conduit, his mind flashing off various memories: Celia, her rabbit mask present to him, Reggie, reborn and entered into his life once, Emily, her wishes of reuniting with her long lost father, Eugene, his progress of flourishing into a beautiful spawn of life halted by the D.U.P. Abigail, his love for her greater than everything, her and Betty bringing the best out of him, her death rattling his emotions to asunder.

Plummeting his voice to an intense snarl, he resorted to one last final attack, hearing the anticipation of Augustine beginning her reel to deliver her own final strike.

**"****The lamented will be avenged."**

He stood up quickly, tugging his chain in full span while feeling the world around him drag into intense slow motion.

**"Awake!****"**

The arising roar of Augustine broke through to the other side, ascending in volume as Delsin glared toward the ground, a fist raised high, stretching out the blazed chain.

**"****Tear them down!"**

His fist bled into the concrete, releasing a tremendous shockwave across the surrounding area. The armor shrouding around Augustine peeled away with striking impact, leaving her back to only her mere physical form once again.

The attack affected Delsin, altered him. His eyes staring intensely towards his limp, stretched out chain, no longer illuminated to great life. His ears could pinpoint and catch Augustine's distant groans from her "fall" with extreme perception. His hands. His hands transfigured to something extraordinary, emitting calm layers of napalm fire across all ten fingers. His skin...was gone, flesh stripped from himself, shuffling on all fours towards a simple shard of shattered glass from the immediate post-battle.

Delsin gazed upon himself in the reflection, taken aback as he gradually brought a hand up to his face, skin stripped away there as well. He wasn't staring at himself anymore.

He was staring straight into a fearful, living entity from hell and he was the bearer. Flames engulfed around his skull, sounding out only a muffled whimper as his fingers trailed along his fully visible teeth line, front to back.

_What the hell happened to me...? Ugh...headache._

He gripped his smooth forehead with his lanky fingers, gripping the earth floor with the free hand for balance to prop himself up on his knees.

_...Augustine..._

"Augustine..." He managed to growl out, supplying a great amount of strength to sound off, noticing immediately how raspy it had come off. Shuffling his feet upright, Delsin stood up straight, crouching over and gripped his chain back in possession, hearing the links jangle in a slithering fashion.

"Augustine...Evil..." Simple, short phrases, approaching the awaking Augustine with a stride, reaching out and below to grip around the collar of her suit, hauling her up with ease. Both sets of eyes caught one another's, Delsin's seemingly gone from the naked eye whilst Augustine's broadened in what he recognized from their second fight: Fear.

"W-what are you?" Her voice rose in pure anxiety, rearing her head back as far as possible but to no avail. Delsin neared her, sniffing his absent nose about her skin, soon pulling back to resume a menacing glare.

"You reek of fear..."

A screech escaped Augustine, no longer was she cool and focused, she was scared out of her wits by only his mere presence, unable to comprehend this being as Delsin Rowe, the man she had just clashed with. His "Unleashed" persona brought a layer of underestimation to her prior, but this. This - was something else entirely different brought before her.

Delsin inclined his head closer to Augustine's, silence filling the surrounding air except for the audible fire flowing within Delsin's entity.

"I..." A growl accompanied his rasp, sending whatever sliver of Augustine's remaining strength plundering to a humiliating defeat.

"I. Am. Death."

Augustine's heart stopped, instinctively gripping his forearm tightly, her mouth gagged and coughed with a start, her eyes only broadening as far wide as they could go.

"Look. Into. My. Eyes."

The growl sent pulses of petrified fear through Augustine, her knees buckling with imbalance. Staying upright was a struggle for her as Delsin proceeded to just stare, stare and stare deep into her pupils. A scream of horror was let out from Augustine, her own eyes unable to pry away to safety, hypnotized by his gaze.

The inner workings of a demon squirmed its way within her mindset, letting off what Delsin imagined he'd never hear from Brooke Augustine in his entire lifetime:

A whimper of pure, utter fear.

She could feel a heatwave surround her brain, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead immensely, falling to her knees with Delsin releasing her suit and stepped back with interest of what was to ensue. Augustine reached for her neck, gasping for air, one hand flying up to the side of her head, dropping backwards with a thud and wriggled about as a fish that arrived to earth. Lengthy amounts of screaming escaped from her lips, a scene appealing deep inside of Delsin, bringing about a vacant smile to his non-existent face.

Augustine's eyes illuminated a fiery orange, glaring with radiant energy as the seconds passed of gasping and harsh attempts at plea for mercy, but Delsin gave none as her breath withdrew from her system, gradually lowering her struggling body flat against the ground.

She was dead.

Delsin reveled in his bittersweet victory, slightly turning his head away from her lifeless body to take sight of another's: Abigail's. One step was taken in her direction, one slow, agonizing step. His emotions shifted from one of anger to flat-out desperation. Desperation for his neon-wielding love, as if his state recognized the heavy emotions, the bleak orange of the bodily flames dimmed moderately, altering its color pattern to one of an angelic, peaceful purple.

His left arm began to rise, fingers outstretched towards Abigail's suspended body as the steps ahead continued, picking up pace in a slow manner.

"...Ab...by." Were his only words, reaching upwards and plucked her body out of the impaling monument, the blood from her still dripping in short spurts now splattered across his clothing as he held her gracefully in his arms. His soulless eyes stared deep into her own lifeless pupils, enlightening a further haze of purple to his flames.

_The flames don't harm her...but they're...so real. Oh, Abby..._

Extending out a free hand to trace alongside her bloodied cheek, Delsin groaned inwardly, if he could cry now, he would. But nothing helped him here, only these dry, void eyes of his to stare longingly at his lover.

"Abby..." The tone transformed to a soft, sweet whisper, nuzzling his vacant cheek into the nape of her neck, his mouth lined parallel with her ear.

"...Re...bel...Rebel...death.

For me."

His words entered inside of her ear, knowing deep down they wouldn't alter anything in advance for his gains. He was left only to cradle her close by as the soft thumps of footsteps approached the vicinity, bringing her closer to him while he averted behind.

"Delsin!"

It was Celia's voice, bringing Delsin to turn away efficiently, nearing close by to Abigail, trying his best to conceal his change to the Paper conduit.

"Stay away..." He muttered, merely turning his head slightly, to redirect his vocals in her vicinity.

"Delsin..." Celia took a step forward, instantly stopping herself as her eyes caught a glimpse of something...different to her. A bright purple sliver of flame came into view, parting her lips with a sharp gasp. "Delsin...?"

The questioning manner in her voice quipped him to bring his head up, turning back to glance upon her, a seeming solemn expression was printed across the skull face. "Go...home..."

Beside Celia were Cole and Zeke, both staring ahead in equivalent shock, not just from Delsin's frightening transformation, but from whom they realized that he was cradling gently in his arms.

"No..." Zeke whispered, his voice inclining with utter sadness whilst Celia proceeded ahead with a single step.

"Delsin...I'm-."

"Go. Home." The rasp growl struck a fear chord in Celia's stomach, stopping abruptly in both movement and speech.

"...But- Delsin-."

"I said...go...home!" Anger arisen within, turning his head full span to meet her gaze. It didn't take a genius to figure that those void eyes showed pits of anger and rage arriving, rearing Celia to lower her head in an abrupt startle, breaking the connection between the two conduits.

"Just...go...h-home."

Hearing this man, this conduit, this entity of otherworldly proportions speaking with a timid, low stutter broke Celia's heart right down the middle, prompting her to continue ahead, despite his pleas, ensuing a jog towards him to gift comfort in his pain.

Despite returning attention back towards Abigail, Delsin could precisely hear her converse straggling towards him, nearing more and more so, letting off a quiet growl in his skeletal throat.

"I said- GO HOME!" The conduit stood up quickly, lashing his body around and flailed the chain about in a huff, the links foaming ablaze. Celia skidded and stumbled to the ground on her buttocks, gasping loudly as Delsin stepped above her, granting a clear perfect view of his change. His peaceful purple flame had shifted colors to a rage inducing orange, snarling rather loudly for Celia's distaste. "Leave this place!"

Both conduits stared eye to eye, Celia's chest heaving upwards and downwards as Delsin huffed through his nostrils, hoping to have provided enough fear to prompt her to vanish in Paper from this site, along with Cole and Zeke. But she stayed where she was, easing off on her breath and pursed her lips together. "Delsin...I am not afraid of you..."

Delsin's head propped back several inches, his voice bringing about a confused hum. "...What?" He snapped furiously, flame resuming it's orange natural color.

"I'm not afraid of you..." Celia's voice softened, elevating and extending her arm outwards, her fingers near-approaching his skeletal structure. "...You don't scare me." She formed a half-grin behind her rabbit mask, enough so that he could spot it discreetly, the flames recurring back to becoming peaceful once more.

As the contact of her fingers collided with his skeletal structure, something dramatic occurred within him, humming quietly in moderate affection to her touch, raising his own hand and wrapping his fingers over her wrist with gentle touch. "Celia..."

"Delsin..."

His touch was cold, shooting shivers up her arm, but soon felt lukewarm after seconds of contact. Then a sudden gasp of breath escaped Celia, her eyes catching sight of a marvelous scene:

His skin was reforming back around his fingers.

The soft, subtle touch one's skin was reunited with his body, stretching and snapping planes of flesh up his forearm, bringing a smile of relief from Celia as she laughed in a breath. Delsin's eyes planted along his reforming skin, glancing downward to his right shoulder, feeling the shreds of skin form up and return, turning to his right shoulder to find it refined with the identical amount of time given.

Retching back, he grunted lowly, sending Celia into a blind panic, ready to reach out and wrap herself around him, but he held an arm outwards in front of her face as it he somehow knew her thoughts. The pain messages centered in his head, gripping both hands against the regenerating flesh and screeching out in a puff of agony, his fire dwindling away gradually from sight on Celia's perspective, her arms still at the cautious ready. Delsin pressed his forehead against the cold, gravely ground of Denny Park, groaning inwardly from the unbelievable pain surrounding his brain, losing balance from his knees and fell over to one side with a quick, sharp exhale of oxygen.

In sooner than no time, Celia peered forward, placing her hands on his backside, filled with inner joy that his body had reverted to its original, physical form, taking the moment to herself to help and haul Delsin back upwards and onto his legs at least to sit up. His eyes re-opened, widening and snapping shut, rinsed and repeated once more or twice before he shifted them over to Celia, breathing heavily alongside his stare.

"...Celia..." Came a whisper, bringing about a soft smile on the titular conduit's lips and without hesitation engulfed herself in his arms, holding him tightly.

"...Delsin..."

Both conduits peeled away and stared at one another, then in unison, turned their sights to Abigail's deceased corpse, sadness striking Delsin with fierce impact, the change noticed by Celia as she watched him begin to groan silently to stand up straight, doing so on her own.

Their moment of tender was ruled short, Delsin continued to stare at Abigail, just making out the dwindling sounds of Cole's and Zeke's feet shuffling their way towards the duo.

"Del, man..." Began Zeke, beginning to shake his head in despair. "...I'm so sorry."

Cole couldn't bring himself to speak up, only nodding alongside Zeke's statement and kept his eyes piled downward.

Delsin's emotions couldn't take much more of the staring, all mixing together to mutate an unpredictable concoction. Celia lurched forward, about to grasp his hand when a shimmering blast of radiant purple light blared in front of her, causing Cole and Zeke to shield their eyes from the blinding illumination before slowly it died off.

Celia acted quick, blinking her eyes to refocus from the light, only to find what even Cole and Zeke could make out, a lengthy trail of sparkling blue and purple flames stretched out, over and above Denny Park, supposedly making its way towards the first island of Seattle.

"...Delsin..." The mutter filled to the brim with heartache as she knew exactly where he was going, drooping her head downward and strode past Cole and Zeke altogether.

He was headed towards 'Home.'

**Leave a review if you please, come on back to check out this remastered edit and I'll see you soon.**


	23. Apologies

**Man, it has truly been a hot minute since I've been back here. Anyhow, I wanted to apologize for never really updating this story anymore or revising it as I was intended on doing. Life's been catching up with me and yada-yada, plus I've kinda just lost all sense to really continue RF. That being said, a good friend of mine and myself have been brainstorming to do a re-work of inFAMOUS: Second Son's story as we felt it was severely lacking in the "family" department. Whether or not I might upload it here for the hell of it is up to my buddy. **

**Anyways, I hope some of you guys are still around to see this and to know that I deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart for not continuing, I know some of you really enjoyed where this was going, but I truly believe I ran out of steam. Maybe, just maybe, I'll pick it up again soon, but that's a stretch if I'm to be honest with myself. **

**It's good to be back here again, if just for a short while and I hope you all have a good one. Stay frosty, stay fresh, stay vigilant, and stay awesome, guys. B) — SD**


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